DRAMA AT
14,500 FEET
Sandip C Jain
What is happening at Nathula in the name of trade is actually a sham but our netas want the same at Jelepla too



Readers who follow my writings probably will straight away skip this article of mine the moment they realize that this piece of writing is once again on the subject of Jelepla. I have written on this topic so many times, here in Himalayan Times, in almost all English newspapers or journals that publish from the North Bengal region as well as in blog sites and web sites, that those of you who keep tract of what I write, will probably say- oh no not once again!! Well, people may get tired reading about it about I feel so strongly about this subject that I will never tire writing about it.

And the subject of this article is that I feel that resumption of trade through the Jelepla Pass via Kalimpong is the worst idea considering the present scenario, rather the opening of Jelepla for the purpose of tourism would be God-sent for this region.
Yes I really feel that Politicians, Writers and leaders of the Chambers Of Commerce who have been advocating the resumption of trade through the Jelepla Pass, either have not made enough research and so are ignorant on the subject or are choosing to ignore the facts for whatever reasons or are just paying lip-service to this demand. Ignorance, probably is the reason why they keep harping on this matter. I for one, feel that resumption of trade through Jelepla via Kalimpong is really a bad idea and in any case under the prevailing circumstances, will never be allowed both by the Indian government and its Chinese counterpart. And considering the big eye-wash that the present Nathula Trade is- who would want another similar farce to unfold just another twenty kilometers away from the drama taking place at Nathula?? Yes ask anyone who knows or go to the Internet and you can see for yourself that the much-hyped trade between India and China at Nathula is nothing but a sham!!!
Since the Pass opened up for trade once again in the year 2006, after many many postponements, the volume of business conducted is probably even lesser than what the Kalimpong Haat Bazzar conducts in a couple of months. The figures speak for themselves- in 2006 only twenty crores worth of business was conducted while in 2007 28 crores worth of trade was transacted. Now consider the above figures and decide for yourself if what is going on at Nathula is really trade or a drama. And would you believe it- Wool, Goat Cashmere, Got Skin, Sheep Skin, Yak tail, Yak hair, are some of the items on the trade list- Is this a joke or what?? In the hope of reviving the long dead HINDI-CHINI BHAI BHAI concept, the two Asian Giants and the two most dynamic economies of the world today are out to make its citizens a fool- and to any extent they have managed in their endeavours when you consider the way our Politicians and others behave over this drama. Despite the drama being enacted, which is there for everyone to see, ill-informed people or people just looking to earn a few frames on the local TV channels or a few lines in the regional papers, seem to be joining the band-wagon demanding trade at Jelepla via Kalimpong. One can excuse the Politicians of the region for demanding trying to beat up this issue taking into consideration their knowledge levels but what of the journalists and the chambers of commerce?? These guys are not supposed to be fools… yet they seem to be behaving like one. Do they not realize and can they not see through the charade that is taking place at Nathula in the name of Indo-China bilateral trade?? My guess is that they cannot, as the various Chambers of Commerce of these days are not run by talented and knowledgeable people but mostly by petty traders wanting to make a name for themselves or trying to gain a little bit of respectability in their respective towns, which they think a position in these association will give them. Of course there are good men with sincere intentions and the requisite knowledge in these trade bodies too but they are badly outnumbered for their voices to be heard. But after almost two years of trade resuming in Nathula, there are now a considerable number of people in the Hills and elsewhere who are convinced that trading at heights of over 14500feet is fraught with loop-holes and till both the governments actually are not serious about their intentions- trading at Nathula or the proposed trade at Jelepla, will remain the eye-wash that it is at the moment.
Ok lets for a moment assume that both New Delhi and Beijing suddenly forget all other aspects of their relations and concentrate only on trade and then actually start trading in Jelepla in the true sense of the word and not the type of stage show being performed at Nathula. Lots of businessmen will definitely stand to gain but my question is- who will these businessmen be??? Will they be businessmen from the Hills??? Will the existing business houses in Kalimpong and around actually stand to gain anything?? I am sorry to say but my assumption is that traders in the Darjeeling Hills will be mere spectators to the convoys of trucks plying between Siliguri & Jelepla. If the resumption of trade through Jelepla via Kalimpong is done in the proper manner then all the orders will probably routed through the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi or the Chinese Trade agents in Kolkata. The big time business houses in Kolkata and Delhi having contacts in the diplomatic circles will rake in all the big and lucrative business proposals and orders while all those who are presently crying themselves hoarse demanding the resumption of trade through Jelepla, will be left dwindling their thumbs. Probably the only thing we will be getting in return will be all the filth, smoke, grease and smog that these trucks will leave behind, not to talk of the sound pollution and the traffic chaos. And talking of traffic, may I ask the advocates of trade through Jelepla, which road will all these truck use while plying between Siliguri and Jelepla?? National Highway No. 31A, the PWD maintained State Highway from Chitray to