The Hindu : Front Page : Sikkim for revival of trade at Nathu La

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Monday, Jun 08, 2009
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Sikkim for revival of trade at Nathu La

Gangtok: With the China-India border trade post at Nathu La recording no transaction last month, the Sikkim government has asked Governor B.P. Singh to convince the Centre to review the list of goods urgently.

“We have requested the Governor to take up with the Commerce Ministry the review of goods on the trade list during his proposed visit to New Delhi in order to revive traders’ interest,” an official of the State Commerce and Industries Department told PTI.

A delegation of the department led by its director Ujjwal Gurung would soon visit New Delhi to take up the matter with the Centre, he said. The State government held a meeting with the Army and the Customs officials two days ago to discuss measures to boost border trade.

According to officials here, enormous costs were involved in importing the goods on the trade list.

“The State government has asked the Centre for review of the goods list time and again, but to no avail as the latter appears not too keen to take the border trade to the next level, in view of the security implications,” they said.

The traders are firm on not taking part, in spite of pressure from the State government agencies as it was simply not a judicious business proposition, a representative of the Indo-Chinese Traders Association of Sikkim said.

The Centre should consider lifting the restriction on the marketing of the imported goods outside Sikkim to enable the traders make some profits as the local market was already choked with Chinese goods, he said.

The Nathu La border trade was reopened in 2004 after a gap of about 40 years with India setting up a trade mart at Sherathang and China at Renguingang in the Tibet Autonomous Region. — PTI

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