The District Administration Office in Bajhang has started issuing China entry permits to locals travelling to Taklakot in Tibet through the Urai Bhanjyang border crossing, with 57 residents obtaining the documents since mid-May, officials said.

The permits were issued after Purang County in neighbouring Tibet agreed to allow group entry for Bajhang residents seeking to trade local products. Of those who received the permits, 31 were renewals of previous documents, while 26 were first-time applicants.

The border passes issued by the administration are valid for one year. Saipal Rural Municipality, which shares a border with China, is coordinating group travel arrangements to facilitate local trade.

The rural municipality has issued a public notice asking residents planning to enter China for commercial purposes to contact its office by July 21. Applicants must submit their citizenship certificates, border passes issued by the district administration and details of the goods they plan to take for sale.

“Officials in Tibet have told us not to send individuals or small groups as we did in the past. They want traders to enter in larger, organised groups,” said Man Bahadur Bohara, chairman of Saipal Rural Municipality. “We are helping residents coordinate their travel so that no one faces difficulties while crossing the border alone.”

Bohara said the municipality would brief registered traders about China’s updated rules and cultural practices before arranging for the entire group to cross the border together.

Residents of Bajhang have maintained centuries-old trade links with Taklakot through the Urai pass. Traders traditionally travel there to sell Himalayan herbs, timber, agricultural produce and livestock products.

“We get good prices in Taklakot for herbs, traditional wooden utensils and handicrafts such as bamboo baskets and trays,” said Ram Bohara, a local trader. Traders who travel to Tibet with goods in July and August usually stay for two to three months, often taking up temporary work. On their return, they bring back essentials including rice, wheat flour, tea, alcohol, Tibetan salt, clothes, footwear and Chinese jackets.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, large numbers of Bajhang residents travelled through the route during July and August to visit Lake Manasarovar, bathe in its waters and bring back holy water for religious rituals. But China’s restrictions on access to the Manasarovar area after the pandemic have halted the long-standing practice for seven years.

Local herders have also become increasingly concerned about taking their livestock across the border. Chinese security personnel have reportedly restricted the traditional practice of grazing sheep, mountain goats and yaks in Tibetan pastures during the monsoon, with some herders alleging harassment.

The tightening of restrictions on traditional activities by the Tibetan side has left many residents frustrated. For the community, religious rituals remain incomplete without offering Manasarovar water at local temples. Despite repeated efforts by the Bajhang administration to discuss these issues with Chinese border officials, no solution has been reached.

Following reports published by Kantipur and The Kathmandu Post on July 11, an official from the Foreign Affairs Office under Purang County’s Border Construction and Development Bureau contacted Kantipur through Jagat Tamang, a Bajhang resident working as an interpreter in Taklakot, to seek clarification.

The official said the Chinese government had not denied Nepal’s border residents any facilities guaranteed under the bilateral border agreement.

“We have always kept the border open for commercial activities,” the official said. “As for grazing, there are no restrictions as long as it is confirmed that the livestock entering our territory are free of diseases.”

The official said tighter checks were likely aimed at preventing the spread of animal diseases caused by uncontrolled movement of livestock across the border.

On restrictions around Lake Manasarovar, the official pointed to the limits set by the bilateral border agreement.

“The border treaty only allows entry up to 30 kilometres into the other country’s territory. Manasarovar is located much farther than that,” the official said.

He added that a district-issued border pass alone was not sufficient for access to the sacred site.

“If anyone wants to visit Lake Manasarovar, they must obtain a proper visa from our embassy,” he said.