PITHORAGARH, INDIA, June 29, 2017 (Times of India): China’s declaration on Tuesday that no Indian pilgrim will be allowed to proceed on the Kailash Mansarovar yatra till the Sikkim border row is resolved may have stalled the yatra through the Nathu La pass in Sikkim, but the pilgrimage is proceeding smoothly through the other route in Uttarakhand taken by pilgrims to reach the revered lake.
Officials of the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN), the nodal agency which is co-ordinating the yatra through the Lipulekh pass in Dharchula near Pithoragarh, told TOI that the first batch of 56 pilgrims had returned using the pass on Wednesday even as the third batch comprising 56 pilgrims entered Chinese territory on the same route. The yatra through the Lipulekh pass follows the old route taken by pilgrims to reach Mansarovar, and is considered the tougher of the two trekking routes earmarked for the yatra by the ministry of external affairs.