Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that he has instructed officials to bring the Korala border with China in Mustang into full-fledged operation after setting up necessary infrastructure. During a meeting with people’s representatives from Mustang in Kathmandu on Tuesday, Oli said he had already issued directives to open the Korala border point as an alternative trade and transit route with China, particularly in the wake of recent natural disasters that have disrupted other customs points.
The Rasuwagadhi border point, Nepal’s primary land route for trade with China, has been shut since July 8 after a flash flood in the Lhendekhola River damaged customs and immigration facilities and roads. Similarly, the Tatopani customs point, another gateway to China, is facing operational issues due to frequent landslides and poor road conditions, making it an unreliable route for trade and passenger movement.
Given these setbacks, local representatives and other stakeholders of Mustang have been pressing the government to fast-track preparations for the Korala route. A few days ago, tourism entrepreneurs urged the government to initiate diplomatic talks with China to allow Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrims, who were stranded due to the Rasuwagadhi flood, to travel to Tibet, China via the Korala border.
During the meeting, local representatives drew the Prime Minister’s attention to the lack of necessary infrastructure at the border. They said the government should immediately initiate the process to blacktop the 97-kilometer Kagbeni–Korala section of the Kaligandaki Corridor Road and establish customs, immigration, an integrated security post and a dry port at the Korala point to support cross-border operations.
The Korala border, believed to be a part of the ancient Silk Route, facilitated trade between Tibet and the Indian subcontinent for centuries. Realizing the trade prospects of this border point, Nepal has been building the Kaligandaki Corridor Road to link Tibet with India. The 254-kilometer highway links Gaidakot along the East-West Highway with Korala via the Kali Gandaki Corridor.
While China has built most of the facilities on its side, the Nepali side of the border remains deserted. About a dozen tents of Nepali traders selling products brought from China can be seen at the border, catering to domestic tourists who reach the border point. The Armed Police Force (APF) has built a border outpost (BOP) a few kilometers below the border. Although the government has set up an immigration office, it is largely non-operational.
“As soon as Rasuwagadhi was hit by floods, I instructed officials to begin preparations for operating the Korala point as an alternative,” Oli told people’s representatives from Mustang.
Locals also raised concerns about the high restricted area permit fee, $500 per person for 10 days, which, they say, has restricted tourism activities in remote villages of Mustang, particularly those in Lomanthang and Lo-Ghekar Damodarkunda rural municipalities.
