Yang Houlan, Chinese ambassador to Nepal, who was in Sindhupalchok on Saturday to lay the foundation stone for dry port in Tatopani, a village that shares its border with Tibet, asked Nepali officials to forward an official proposal to China for renovation of Araniko highway.[break]
The Chinese envoy expressed concerns over the condition of Barhabise-Tatonpai section of the highway, which often gets obstructed in the rainy season due to landslides. Rampant stone quarries have also contributed to worsening the condition of this 26-km section of the highway.
“As we are constructing a dry port on Nepal-Tibet border, we must repair Araniko highway,” said Hang.
“Come up with a proposal,” said Yang. “China is read to help repair it.” Yang, who has arrived in Tatopani at least twice so far via the land route, wondered why Nepal has yet not forwarded any proposal to China for repairing Araniko highway, which is crucial to Nepal-China trade.
Lalmani Joshi, secretary at Ministry of Commerce and Supplies, and Director General of Department of Customs Muktinarayan Poudel maintained that Nepal had time and again raised the issue with China.
However, local traders and businessmen did not believe what Nepali officials said. “What the Chinese envoy said has made it clear that Nepali officials never bothered about repairing the highway,” said Rajendra Kumar Shrestha, chairman of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Sindhupalchok. “Now, we can hope that the highway will be improved soon.”
Araniko highway was built under the financial assistance of China. Today, Nepal has been importing Chinese goods worth over Rs 20 billion every year through this route.
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