More than 1,000 citizens in Bhotkhola take border passes

Nepal, Kimathanka, April 24: Over 1,000 citizens have taken border passes from the District Administration Office, Sankhuwasabha after the northern area of Sankhuwasabha, Kimathanka checkpoint, came into operation. A total of 14 border checkpoints, including the northern Kimathanka, were simultaneously opened on May 25, 2024.

The District Administration Office of Sankhuwasabha reported that 1,338 border passes had been issued after opening the northern region of Kimathanka.

Fearing the spread of coronavirus, the Chinese government had closed various border points connected to China, including Kimathangka, from January 19, 2020. Total 1,082 people had obtained border passes in the fiscal year 2081/82 while it was 256 in the fiscal 2082/83, Srijana Mehta at the Border Administration Office informed. Likewise, so far 648 people have renewed their border passes.

After the distribution of border passes, it has become easier for the citizens of Bhotkhola to cross the border for daily consumables, food grain and employment purposes.

Residents within Bhotkhola and Makalu Rural Municipalities have been purchasing daily consumables from Chinese markets across Kimathanka based on border passes and identity cards. It is noted that wards 1, 2, and 3 of Bhotkhola Rural Municipality share borders with the northern neighbor China. Around five thousand people reside in the Bhotkhola area.

Only potatoes and millet are produced in the Bhotkhola area. The residents of Kimathangka have been sustaining their livelihood by going to the nearby markets across the border for daily work. —