Shimla, July 15 -- After a gap of six years, the Indo-China border trade via Shipki La - a strategic pass near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) - is set to recommence from August 1, said Kinnaur deputy commissioner (DC) Amit Sharma on Tuesday. The trade, earlier set to start on June 1, was delayed due to pending modalities regarding immigration. DC, Kinnaur-cum-Trade Authority, Amit Sharma made the announcement after presiding over a meeting. The trade will continue until November 30, he added. He also asked the public works department to complete the warehouse facility-Chhuppan Trade Mart (Chupan)-by July 25. The mart will serve as a centralised hub for local villagers from upper Kinnaur to complete customs and registration formalities before crossing the border. Sharma also instructed additional district magistrate (Pooh) Ravindra Singh Thakur to liaise with the Union ministries of external affairs, home affairs, and commerce, as well as the army, customs department, and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). Elated over the development, Hishey Negi, president of the Kinnaur Indo-China Trade Association, said they had sought 86 passes of which 55 have received clearance, but certain immigration modalities are still pending. Many residents of Namgiya, Chuppan, Nako and Chango villages depend economically on the cross-border trade, which is undertaken on the barter system along Shipki La. "The trade is resuming after a six-year gap, so we have requested that passes be issued in a phased manner, perhaps weekly, to ensure trade remains smooth at Chuppan," Negi told HT. Sharma instructed tehsildar (Pooh) Bhim Singh Negi-who was appointed as the trade officer-to coordinate with relevant traders in Pooh to ensure trade and travel documents are available within the stipulated time frame. As of now import and export will be restricted to items notified by the Government of India. Currently, 20 items are on the import list, including wool, pashmina, sheep skin, yak tails, yak hair, salt, shoes, blankets, quilts, carpets and herbal medicines. The export list carries 36 items such as coffee, tea, barley, rice, wheat, flour, dry fruits, tobacco, cigarettes, canned food, spices, watches, shoes, utensils, and handloom and handicraft items. However, livestock trading will not be allowed as there is no quarantine centre. Shipki La, through which the Sutlej River (known as Langqen Zangbo in Tibet) enters India, has long served as a vital trade corridor between India and Tibet. The trade between the two countries, usually based on the barter system, had stopped after the 1962 war. In 1992, the trade resumed again from Shipkila pass in Kinnaur and Nathu La in Sikkim after India and China signed a protocol. After resumption, the trade volume gradually increased from Rs.8.59 crore in 2016 to Rs.59.21 crore in 2017, despite occasional dips due to standoffs between the two nations, such as the Doklam clash. The last time the trade took place in 2019, the volume was Rs.3.05 crore....