The Hindu Business Line : Nathu La: Better infrastructure sought as visits by Chinese traders go up

Senior State commerce and industry department officials of Sikkim told Business Line in Gangtok recently that some 1,253 trade visits have been made by Chinese traders (bringing mainly sheep wool) through Nathu La point till mid-October, since opening of border trade on July 6 against 696 by Indian exporters.

And this despite very poor infrastructure facilities for visiting Chinese exporters on the Indian side of Nathu La border as compared to the much better fare offered by the Chinese counterparts at Rinquingang, the border town on the Chinese side.

Better facilities

According to Mr U.K. Gurung, Vice-President-1of the India-China Traders' Association of Sikkim, basic hostel facilities at Sherathang Trade Mart with proper rest and wash rooms was a must. Pointing out that the immigration point at Nathu La was too small, he said proper shed/waiting rooms should be constructed to protect traders from exposure to the icy winds, while in the queue. The warehouse now provided has very little capacity.

He also sought a proper customs office at Nathu La, for checking of cargo, as this is being done now in the open. Seeking urgent road connectivity by way of a bus service between Gangtok and Rinquingang via Nathu La, he said individual car trips by traders were too expensive.

Raw silk

Mr Anil K Gupta, General Secretary of the traders' body, said trading in raw silk through Nathu La (an important item allowed in the list) was not possible now in the absence of any testing laboratory at Sherathang.

The association has appealed to the Union Minister of State for Commerce, Mr Jairam Ramesh, for urgent mobile connectivity at Nathu La and Sherathang by BSNL, as no Indian signals are received here. The minister has given an assurance that the matter will be taken up with both the Home and Defence ministries.

Power

According to the exporters, one of the most essential items was electricity, now missing at the border point, from the trade mart to the exit point of the country.

It is felt that if the growing informal (or unofficial) trade through the border trade points in the north eastern region has to be converted into formal one, infrastructure work should be taken up without any further delay. Unofficial trade involves trading of items outside the agreed list.

Citing the significance of border trade with China via Nathu La, Mr D.D. Mundra, Vice President-11 of the association, said open trade with China held great promise.

It is suggested that the current list of 29 items of Indian export could be expanded and rationalised, making way for inclusion of commodities/products like food items including maida, beer, alcohol and processed milk products, and manufactured goods and services like automobiles, three-wheelers, computer hardware, software and education, health, insurance and banking.

More Stories on : Foreign Trade | Infrastructure | West Bengal

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page