Dharamshala, 4th March: Chinese contractors working on a government-ordered railway line are burrowing under a Sichuan mountain sacred to Tibetans, using artillery fire to damage the rock face and speed up their job. For several months, the devastation of Asal Dzari mountain, which is located in Toe township of Nyakchu county in the Kardze (in Chinese, Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, has been ongoing. Tunnels under the mountain are being developed to assist extend new rail lines between Nyakchu and Lhasa, the Tibetan regional capital.
“The Chinese government has said that Asal Dzari mountain stands in the way of these two regions where they are building the railroads. Therefore, there are many tunneling projects being carried out around the mountain at the moment,” RFA quoted its source who lives in Tibet and who speaks on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
As per RFA’s source, at the same time, the government is extracting valuable minerals from the mountain and harming the region’s fragile ecology. However, it is unknown which minerals are being extracted, and Tibetans living in the area are not permitted to see the work sites.
According to experts, Tibet has become an important source of minerals for China’s economic growth, and Chinese mining and infrastructure operations in Tibetan areas have resulted in widespread environmental damage, including pollution of livestock and human water sources and the destruction of sacred sites. The mountain of Asal Dzari is revered to Tibetans and includes numerous significant mineral reserves.
Another railway being built between Sichuan and Nyingtri prefecture in central Tibet will promote tourism and trade along a previously disconnected southern route, while also bolstering Beijing’s authority over a disputed territory bordering India. The project is China’s second significant railway project in Tibet, following the completion of a northern line from Golmud in northwest China’s Qinghai province to Lhasa in 2006. The line is the world’s highest railway. When completed, the Chinese train lines, according to regional experts, will deepen Beijing’s hold on Tibet.