Amidst the ongoing three year long standoff between the Chinese and Indian forces, China continues enhancing its military infrastructure and connectivity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Central sector.
Reports indicate that the Chinese PLA has started building helipads for air connectivity, a new link road which will help in connecting roads along the LAC in the central sector opposite Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
According to the sources in the defence and security establishment the Chinese forces have now started focusing on improving its air connectivity in the dormant middle sector which is right opposite Uttarakhand. And just opposite India’s Niti Pass the Chinese side has started building a new link road and helipad at different locations like Poling Jindu and Sarang. Adding, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army has constructed new camps close to India’s Niti Pass and Tunjun pass.
The Chinese are building the helipads as it would help in moving the troops faster during war-like situations.
With Chinese PLA transgressing along LAC from the northern to the eastern sector in the recent years, late 2022 India has started bolstering not only its operational preparedness but has also strengthened its infrastructure in the middle sector – Uttarakhand & Himachal Pradesh.
Barring reports about some incidents in Uttarakhand’s Barahoti area, no serious breach in the middle sector in the Indian territory by the Chinese PLA has been reported.
In the last few years, Financial Express Online has reported previously that the majority of the transgressions have been in the western sector and there is an increasing trend of transgression in the eastern and middle sectors.
The LAC according to sources in the defence and security establishment is divided into: western (Ladakh), middle (Uttarakhand & Himachal Pradesh), Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in eastern sector.
India building infrastructure
Several infrastructure development projects which include bridge and road building/improvement are being carried out. These will help in the movement of the Indian troops to reach different locations in difficult terrains especially in the mountainous passes during war like situations.
The two countries share a 3,488-km-long LAC which stretches from the northern sector in Ladakh to the eastern sector in Arunachal Pradesh. And, out of this almost 545-km-long LAC is considered under the Middle Sector. And in this area there are around 20 passes along the border area and it includes the boundary shared between Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
The standoff between the two sides has now entered the fourth year in eastern Ladakh and there is now heavy deployment of men and machines along the LAC. It all started in the summer of 2020 when the troops of both sides clashed in the Galwan Valley in which the Indian Army lost almost 20 personnel and the Chinese PLA also had casualties.
The Chinese PLA developing infrastructure in the middle sector comes close on the heels of the recently concluded India-US ‘Yudh Abhyas’ at Auli, which is almost 100 km from the LAC.
About Niti Pass
Once considered to be an ancient trading route between India and Tibet which was annexed by China in 1951, this pass has been closed since the Sino-India war of 1962.