Silk Route to celebrate its first trade anniversary

Gangtok, Jul 05 (UNI) The triumph of ancient ties over modern discords between India and China has been ushered by Sikkim as border trade along the famed 'Silk Route' completes one year tomorrow.

The state government today said that the trade at the isolated 14,440 ft mountainous corridor of Nathu La has cemented the relation between the two counties.

The Nathu La border trade between Sikkim and Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), China, had resumed on July 06 last year after a gap of 44 years.

''It will take time for trade to reach higher volumes as we have to work as per the guidelines. Our greatest achievement is that Sikkim has cemented the political relationship between India and China through this,'' state Industries and Commerce minister R B Subba said.

He further pointed that though Sikkim joined the Indian mainstream in 1975, it had managed to give such a contribution to the nation. Referring to the demands made by local traders for expansion of trade items, Mr Subba said the matter is already before the Centre.

The traders from the state and TAR have held the present list of items for import, especially items like yak tail, responsible for slow pace of business.

According to official figures, upto June 24 from May 01 this year, total export by Indian traders was around Rs 4.4 lakh rupees while the Tibetan traders exported only 47 yak tails worth Rs 3200 in June.

Despite Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) raising the trading ceiling to Rs one lakh per trader per day, traders and business community felt that only the expansion of the trading items with more marketable products could give Nathu La border trade a boost.

''We are waiting for the list of items to be expanded specially the import items. At present, only the our traders are doing business,'' Indo-China Traders Association of Sikkim president Chimmey Bhutia said.

If the Centre continued to postpone the enhancement of trade list, then by 2011 the Sikkim traders would lose this advantageous position.

UNI