The Hindu : Sikkim looks beyond border trade

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 28, 2003

Opinion

Opinion - News Analysis

Sikkim looks beyond border trade

By C. Raja Mohan

GANGTOK JUNE 27. The excitement here over the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee's visit to China is overpowering. The talk of the town — from restaurants to newspaper editorials — is all about Mr. Vajpayee's deal in Beijing this week on opening the border between Sikkim and Tibet.

And leading the charge of enthusiasm is none other than the Sikkim Chief Minister, Pawan Chamling. In a conversation with The Hindu, Mr. Chamling is happy that the international acceptance of Sikkim's merger with India in 1975 is now complete. "Until now China has not recognised Sikkim's integration with India. That negative approach now is over, with Beijing initiating the recognition of Sikkim as part of the Indian Union," he said.

Mr. Chamling takes some credit, rightly, for making border trade with Tibet and China part of the national agenda. Since coming to power in 1994, he has been demanding the resumption of trade on the "Silk Road" between India and Tibet that runs through the Nathu La pass. When he first raised the issue in 1994, it was laughed off in New Delhi as either unrealistic or unrealisable. But Mr. Chamling would not give up.

The decision to reopen the "Silk Road", Mr. Chamling said, "will not only lead to improved relations between India and China, but also enormously boost the developmental activity in Sikkim". He is grateful for Mr. Vajpayee for fulfilling one of the main demands of Sikkim during his visit to China. Sikkim had been diplomatic play in the talks between New Delhi and Beijing since the mid-1990s.

Mr. Chamling wants a rapid implementation of the MoU and to see that it is not trapped in the usual bureaucratic delays. While many procedures and creation of trade facilities on the ground will take time, Mr. Chamling hopes they can be completed shortly.

* * *

Mr. Chamling is determined to derive full advantage for Sikkim's products in the trade with Tibet and China. That would involve a dramatic upgradation of the State's transport infrastructure. "Connectivity in India", is one of Mr. Chamling's favourite themes. "Linking Kangchenzonga to Kanyakumari", as long demanded by the Chief Minister, now acquires a new relevance as Sikkim is all set to become a gateway to China.

Mr. Chamling has been demanding that Sikkim be linked to the Golden Quadrangle road network. He also wants an upgradation of National Highway 31 A that links Sikkim to Siliguri in North Bengal. He points to Mr. Vajpayee's promise to consider an alternative to NH 31A.

Mr. Chamling's proposal for an airport to Gangtok is now lying with the Airports Authority of India, but he is concerned about the delays in implementing the project.

Although the MoU signed in Beijing talks only about border trade its future scope should not be seen narrowly, says Mahendra Lama, an adviser to Mr. Chamling. Border trade in the traditional sense, Prof. Lama says, is about the exchange of commodities and daily needs between local communities across the frontiers. "But trade at Nathu La has a much larger scope — regular trade, tourism, and investments among Tibet, India, and the neighbouring countries like Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh."

* * *

Mr. Chamling is looking at more than trade with Tibet and China. He wants a bus service between Gangtok and Lhasa to promote people-to-people contact and tourism across the border between India and Tibet.

Given the huge common cultural and religious heritage on both sides of the Himalayas, Mr. Chamling believes there is a huge potential for pilgrimage and tourism across the border. Pilgrims travelling to Lhasa or Lake Manasarovar and those from across who want to do the Buddhist religious circuit, Mr. Chamling believes can use the State as a transit point. Tourism then could be a great money-spinner for Sikkim.

Mr. Chamling says, "a lot of preparation is needed in Sikkim to gain from the new prospects for improvement in Sino-Indian relations" and urges the business community and the people of Sikkim to "rise to the challenge".

The first task, sources here say, is to effectively implement the MoU and raise the comfort levels in New Delhi and Beijing about doing things differently on their borders. Only then could the broader benefits of opening Nathu La will become a reality, they add.

* * *

While Mr. Chamling has scored big from Mr. Vajpayee's visit to Beijing, West Bengal is waking up to a missed opportunity. With the decision to make the Nathu La the main point entry, Gangtok will be the gainer and Kalimpong, in North Bengal, could be the loser.

Before hell froze over Sino-Indian relations in the early 1960s, Kalimpong was the main centre for commerce with Tibet and Jalep La in southeastern Sikkim was the main pass.

Analysts here say, Sikkim has no desire to be seen as monopolising the new gains from the opening with Tibet and China. They suggest that the entire region of North Bengal could benefit from expanded economic engagement with China. If things work well in Nathu La, they say, economics could justify the reopening of the Kalimpong-Jalep La route as well. If Kolkata is smart it will upgrade the infrastructure in North Bengal and press the Centre for an additional trading point with China.

Siliguri, as the regional trading hub, is well poised to exploit the opening between Sikkim and Tibet. And if Bagdogra airport is made an international one, it could emerge as the transit point for the increased flow of tourists across China and the eastern subcontinent.

As the world's two largest and fastest growing economies begin to cooperate, as agreed in Mr. Vajpayee's visit, the trans-Himalayan regions in China and the subcontinent are on the verge of an unprecedented economic transformation.

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