A Subramani
The Hindu
June 3, 2015
With bated breath and a prayer on their lips, more than 25,000 pilgrims who have booked themselves for the annual Kailash-Manasarovar yatra, are waiting for China to open the three traditional routes into Tibet.
The holy trip to the snow-capped Mount Kailash and the scenic Manasarovar Lake usually begins in May and lasts till September every year. This year, due to the havoc caused by earthquakes all across Nepal recently , China is yet to open its borders to pilgrims. “This year, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) has shortlisted 22 batches of pilgrims totalling about 1,500. They are to take the Almora route in UP and the first batch should be leaving by June 15 as per original schedule,” said Srinivasan of Samrat Travels. Chinese authorities are still in talks with their Indian and Nepalese counterparts, and not a single India passport-holder single India passport-holder has been allowed through the two most popular entries – one at Almora and the other through Kodari-Nayalam through Nepal, he said.
“We are keeping our customers updated, and inform them of every development,” Srinivasan says, adding, “As departure date nears, it is getting difficult to give answers to queries. We may have to reschedule all June trips to the last week of July or August,” he said. “We are told talks are underway , and expect a decision on the border opening in a day or two.”
Not all operators are as transparent though. “We have information that at least four groups from Bangalore and Tamil Nadu have reached Nepal anticipating permits from China. To bide time, they visited Muktinath in Nepal,” he said, disapproving the practice of taking tourists to a foreign nation before their visa could be ready .
“It is a 250 crore industry and in volves tens of tour agents who have informal tie-ups with Kathmandu based operators. At stake is people’s faith,” said Nandakumar, BJP’s Coim batore district unit head. Having been taken for a ride by a Kolathur-based agent last year, he is readying for a second trip this year. (This corre spondent was cheated by the agent las year, and he got full refund of the tour money only after a criminal complaint was lodged against the agent).
The tour’s budget ranges from 95,000 to 1.6 lakh and usually lasts 13 days, says Kumar of Erode, adding “besides money , government servants have already obtained the mandatory NOC from their higher ups and their leave too have been sanctioned. Any rescheduling at this stage, would mean going through the same process afresh.”
This year, instead of Kodari-Nayalam and Almora routes, taking the longer Lhasa route looks possible, said Srinivasan. Though it might mean a few thousands more, going to Lhasa first and then undertaking the pilgrimage looks like the most plausible option at present, he said. “We have received reports that some foreigners were allowed through Lhasa last week, and they even had their full-moon darshan,” he added.
Except the MEA-organised trip, the rest are done by amateurs with profitsharing arrangements with Kathmandu-based operators. Holding them responsible for unkept promises made ahead of the trip is almost impossible, said Kumuthavalli of Sowcarpet.
