New Delhi, October 13: Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui has interacted with select Indian pilgrims, travel agents and ministry officials to exchange views on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
The Ambassador called the yatris ‘friendship envoys’ between India and China and congratulated them for realising their dream of visiting the holy place for Hindus.
“The Chinese government respects the freedom of religion and understands the importance of the Yatra for you,” said Luo.
From 1981 to October 1 this year, 480 batches of over 18,000 official yatris selected through the lottery system have visited Kailash Mansarovar. Around 1.5 lakh non-official yatris have undertaken the pilgrimage since 1995 with some 20,000 pilgrims this year alone.
The Ambassador underlined that the Yatra played an important role in people-to-people interactions and the two governments were working hard to implement the Wuhan consensus reached between PM Modi and President Xi in May.
The Ambassador said the “Yatra should be beyond foreign policy and politics” through sustainable cooperation and deeper friendship. Brakes were applied on the yatra through the Nathu La route last year during the 73-day tense stand-off between the two armies at the Doklam trijunction with Bhutan.
During the interaction, 52-year-old Anshu Agarwal from Panchkula who undertook the Yatra for the first time this year, hoped facilities like rooms, especially toilets, at Derapuk and Mansarovar could be improved.
Sixty-two-year-old Retha Mittal, a yatri for the second time this year, expressed happiness that Indian kitchens and chefs were now catering locally unlike at earlier times.
Bhupinder Goyal from Panchkula suggested that for private yatris who undertook the parikrama, there is no night stay facility at Mansarovar. Unlike the official yatris who had stay arrangements and undertook the parikrama in three days, private yatris were taken around in a bus in a day, he added.
The travel agents present at the interaction suggested provisions of a bathing ghat and place of worship for the yatris with more focus on sanitation and clean toilets.
Difficulties related to visa issues were also highlighted by those who interacted with the ambassador.
Luo said the coordination between the two governments had improved with a functional hotline also now present.
He hoped more Indians would undertake the yatra which is now done through four routes involving flights, motorable roads and some15 kilometres of a breathtaking trek to Mansarovar.
Source Tribune India
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