Uttarakhand Congress denied permission to stage dharna near Old Lipulekh Pass over viewing Kailash peak

Pithoragarh: The Congress' proposed dharna near Old Lipulekh on Tuesday demanding permission for locals to view the sacred Kailash peak was put in jeopardy on Monday with the Pithoragarh administration denying Inner Line Permit for a political programme in the sensitive border area.

The Tourism Department of the state government has recently started a plan for tourists from outside the state to visit the Old Lipulekh Pass located inside the Indian territory for a view of the Mount Kailash peak.

The Uttarakhand Congress has planned to stage a dharna near the Old Lipulekh Pass demanding that local people, like other tourists, should also be allowed to visit the Old Lipulekh Pass for viewing the Kailash peak.

Dharchula's Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Manjeet Singh said till now no such person who wants to enter the border area with the intention to hold a political programme has been given Inner Line Pass.

Instead of going to the border area, the Congress leaders should hand over their memorandum to him in Dharchula, the SDM said.

"We are talking to the Congress leaders and trying to convince them to hand over the memorandum related to their demands to me in Dharchula. We are also in touch with our higher officials to take instructions in this regard," Singh said.

"At present we have been ordered not to give Inner Line Permit for political programmes in the sensitive border areas," he said.

Earlier in the day, Uttarakhand Congress President Karan Mahara said the state government is creating discontent among the border people living in Vyas and Darma valleys by not allowing the local people to visit the Old Lipulekh Pass for a 'darshan' of the Kailash peak.

"The border area of Vyas valley, where the old Lipulekh Pass is located, is very sensitive from the security point of view and if the local people are deprived of the right to worship their deities, then discontent will grow among them," he said.

Under the Uttarakhand government's scheme, tourists coming from all over the country are airlifted from Pithoragarh to Gunji base camp and from there they are taken by road to the Old Lipulekh Pass situated at a height of 17,500 ft from where they get a view of the sacred peak in Tibet.