Nepalis who went to fetch water from Mansarovar were turned back from Kathan checkpoint in China

Kathan is a checkpoint under the Chinese local administration "Purang County" near Nepal's Urai border. It is said that all those who enter through the same gate will be allowed to proceed only after searching through the checkpoint.

The chief district officer of Bajhang, Bishwamitra Kuinkel, informed that the Chinese side only allowed them to go around 30 kilometers from the Nepali border and all those who tried to go beyond that were sent back. He said that the administration also informed the locals when they issued the pass, but the Chinese side sent those who tried to ignore it and send them back.

'The local administration has been issuing entry permits (passes) to the residents of the border districts between the two countries to travel up to 30 kilometers from each other, accordingly, the Bajhang administration had issued passes only to Taklakot via Urai,' Prazia Kuinkel told Kantipur. But when trying to go beyond the distance given by the administration, the Chinese administration did not allow them to go.

Prazia Kuinkel said that the Ministry of Home Affairs was also informed about this issue. , in the case of beyond that, we have been arranging a pass to go to Taklakot market,' Kuinkel said, 'They talked about how the Chinese side will arrange security arrangements on their side . We have also informed the Ministry of Home Affairs about the return of Nepalis who had gone to Mansarovar from the middle of the road.

Purang County (local administration) in Tibet has been giving approval for 8 days from 8th to 11th and 20th to 23rd of every month to go from Bajhang to Taklakot. According to Prazia Kuinkel, the Chinese side allowed the entry Passes have been issued after crossing the border. Chandra Bahadur Singh of Jaiprithvi Municipality, 1 Kailash of Bajhang, who went to Mansarovar through Urai Naka, said that they went there because they needed water from Mansarovar to worship goddesses and idols, but the Chinese administration sent them back from a place called Kathan above Taklakot.

Locals with lions who walked from Bajhang on 9th July were sent back from a place called Kathan, a checkpoint on the 22nd towards China. It is a tradition to offer water from Mansarovar to the goddess Mashta, for that we walked as a group to Mansarovar through Taklakot, but the Chinese administration stopped us from Saipal in Bajhang. They sent us back from the checkpoint at Kathan in China, 30 kilometers away,' Chandra Bahadur told Kantipur, 'We reached Kathan on the morning of July 22, the Chinese security personnel did not even allow us to enter, they also deleted some of our mobile photos.' He said that he tried to go to Mansarovar, but he returned home when he found out that he would not be able to enter with a pass issued from another district. Tinkar in Darchula can also be reached in one day from Saipal.

According to religious and cultural tradition, the water of Mansarovar must be offered to the Goddess, but it is sad that there is an obstacle to go to Mansarovar. He regretted that the administration should facilitate this and that this could not be done.

Prazia Kuinkel said that the administration is issuing passes according to the agreement that only 30 kilometers from the border area between Nepal and China and the Chinese side has informed those coming to get the pass that they should not be sent for Mansarovar, but the locals felt sad when they tried to move forward. ;.

15 districts of Nepal including Bajhang are bordered with China. There is a border between the two countries at a distance of about 1,414 kilometers. One of these international border crossings is Urai in Bajhang. Recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a procedure to open 14 border crossings to China and to arrange a 5-year entry pass for those coming and going. This procedure has not been implemented .

At present, in coordination with the Chinese administration, the district administration offices connected to the northern border are issuing passes only to go to the Chinese market within 30 kilometers.

In addition, the Chinese administration sometimes gives access to the market beyond that, looking at the practical aspect, and last time during the covid epidemic, it stopped the movement from such traditional borders . Now again citing security reasons, the Chinese administration is forcing Nepalis to go up to 30 km.