To counter harsh winters & China, Army rapidly develops infra for troops at LAC in Ladakh, northeast

New Delhi, May 25: India-China border standoff going on for more than a year, the Indian Army has established infrastructure in such a way that it has the capability to accommodate a large number of troops in the habitats that have been built in the Ladakh sector and other areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

 

 

 

This development will help the Indian Army to function efficiently even during the harsh winters experienced in Ladakh and sustain them through temperatures that sometimes go down to minus 45 degrees.

 

 

According to the reports, the Indian Army has been able to complete the work planned in next five years in the last 12 months itself. According to estimates, both India and China have deployed more than 50,000 troops in the eastern Ladakh sector opposite each other despite the limited disengagement in the Pangong lake sector by both sides earlier this year.

 

 

The Army is also working to develop the road infrastructure in all the sectors along the LAC and has speeded up work on the Nimu-Padam-Darcha axis which is going to help troops move to Ladakh from other parts of the country round the year. The defence ministry is also set to soon clear a proposal to allow the BRO to construct a 4.5 km-long tunnel for connectivity on the new road. The road connectivity to all the forward locations has also been made available much before the due dates by the Army engineers.

 

India and China are engaged in a prolonged standoff in eastern Ladakh since May last year. Soldiers from both sides completed withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of Pangong lake in February. But the disengagement has not taken place yet from various other areas in eastern Ladakh. India is demanding disengagement at the Gogra, Hot Springs, and Depsang plains area by the Chinese Army. However, China has been always reluctant even during the talks in disengaging from the remaining friction points at these points.

 

 

China's People Liberation Army had returned to the training areas near eastern Ladakh for carrying out exercises. These are the same areas where they had transgressed into Indian areas last year. Despite the heavily deployed Chinese troops, the Indian forces have also strengthened their deployment in the area as they are keeping a close watch on the Chinese activities in the adjoining sectors. The forces deployed by the Indian side in Ladakh include the Indo Tibetan Border Police, Indian Air Force, and Indian Army which is now at the forward most locations in the sector.