Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Gegong Apang at Kibithu. Picture by Eastern Projections

Kibithu (Sino-Indian border), Nov. 7: In 1907, when Noel Williamson, an assistant political officer in Mishmi hills of Arunachal Pradesh, suggested that a border trade point at Kibithu held immense economic possibilities, there were no takers for his idea in the British government.

Almost a century later, Williamson’s dream could be turning into reality on the icy heights of Kibithu — it is 11,000 feet above sea level — bordering Tibet. Delhi is warming up to the idea of throwing open this border point for trade.

The Mishmi tribe, which inhabits the newly-created Anjaw district where Kibithu is situated, had trade links with the Chinese and the Tibetans for years before the border was sealed.

Last week, Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Gegong Apang, chief commissioner of customs and central excise A.S.R. Nair and several top Union government officials visited Kibithu to take stock of the situation there and discuss the infrastructure required to open a border trade centre.

“People on both sides of the border will benefit if the trade route is opened. Anjaw is rich in horticultural, aromatic and medicinal plants and other forest products, which could be marketed to China. In return, our people can get items like rice and other essential goods, since the first major township on the Chinese side is only 25 km from Kibithu,” Apang told The Telegraph.

Nair echoed Apang, saying the place has the potential of becoming a major border market.

Apang said he would pressure the Centre to open new border trade routes in his state with China and Myanmar.

“There is no use in carrying on with conflicts. We will have to develop these border routes to allay fears of insurgency. People want to see development. If we can provide them with all modern facilities, Arunachal Pradesh would become the gateway of the whole eastern region,” the chief minister said.

“Before the borders were sealed and bilateral trade between India and Tibet stopped, Tibetans regularly visited the villages of this district for purchasing, selling and bartering articles with the Mishmis. We now want to reinstate the same system with modern facilities,” said Anjaw deputy commissioner P.S. Lokhande.