The Sikkim government has accelerated infrastructure development for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Nathu La, a mountain pass in the Himalayas that connects the state with China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.
The pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake, set to resume after a gap of five years, holds religious significance to Hindus as well as Jains and Buddhists.
Two acclimatisation centres are being established between state capital Gangtok and Nathu La, while functional toilets and other travel-related infrastructure are also being developed for the pilgrims, said MLA Thinlay Tshering Bhutia.
The pass is located under Bhutia’s Kabi-Lungchok constituency and the legislator told reporters that he was assessing the ground situation to further enhance facilities for the Mansarovar Yatris.
The Ministry of External Affairs last month said the Yatra is set to take place from June to August via two routes — Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand and Nathu La in Sikkim.
“Sikkim is a peaceful state and this is the main USP of travelling via the Nathu La border,” Bhutia said in the presence of officials of the forest, tourism and rural development departments.
He said the Nathu La route, with availability of good roads, would provide the pilgrims with a safe and better travelling experience again.
The Yatra was suspended initially in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently because of the military standoff between the two sides on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
The militaries of India and China completed disengagement of troops at the two remaining friction points of Demchok and Depsang under a pact sealed on October 21 last year.
In January, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Beijing and held talks with his Chinese counterpart Sun Weidong. In the meeting, the two sides decided to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and agreed to take certain people-centric steps to “stabilise and rebuild” ties.
“This year, five batches, each consisting of 50 Yatris, and 10 batches, each consisting of 50 Yatris, are scheduled to travel through Uttarakhand State crossing over at Lipulekh Pass, and through Sikkim state crossing over at Nathu La Pass, respectively,” the MEA earlier said in a statement.
The MLA said that public representatives and officials from various government departments had accompanied him during visits to facilities and also look at avenues to further develop the existing infrastructure.
“We have discussed many development initiatives for the area. We will now prepare a detailed estimate and submit it to the Tourism department,” Bhutia said.