INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: China has slightly increased the number of its soldiers along the eastern sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Army chief
General Manoj Pande said on Thursday, including that a close watch is also being continued the stepped-up activities of the Peoples
Liberation Army (PLA) in the essential Doklam plateau.The overall security scenario along the 3,488-km long LAC stretching from eastern
Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh is steady, and under control, however unpredictable , Gen Pande stated, in the run-up to the Army Day on
Without any de-escalation in the military confrontation in eastern Ladakh, and both sides continuing to forward release over 50,000 soldiers
each for the third succeeding harsh winter season, Gen Pande said the Army was keeping an extremely high level of functional readiness with
adequate forces and reserves in each sector of the LAC to tackle any contingency.The 12-lakh strong Army is dealing with the circumstance
all along the northern borders in a company and resolute manner, with five of the 7 friction points in eastern Ladakh being resolved
Maintaining a robust defensive posture, we have actually also had the ability to prevent our foe from making any unilateral change in the
status quo, he said.China, however, has till now flatly refused troop disengagement at the strategically-located Depsang Plains and Demchok
in eastern Ladakh, while likewise cranking up the pressure along the 1,346-km LAC stretch in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh
This was evident in the physical clash in between Indian and Chinese soldiers at Yangtse in the important Tawang sector, which left several
soldiers on both sides injured on December 9
Sources said the PLA has even during the continuous winter maintained at least two of the 4 extra integrated armed brigades-- each has
around 4,500 soldiers with tanks, weapons and other weapons-- it had actually forward released throughout the eastern sector in September
There has been a slight increase in Chinese soldiers, who had come for training but have actually not returned, throughout our Eastern
We likewise have adequate forces offered, both deployed along the LAC and in the reserves
We are well-poised to meet any difficulty
Our Army is fully all set and efficient in responding if the requirement arises, Gen Pande said.Asked about the PLAs increased activity and
facilities development in the Bhutanese area of Doklam near the Sikkim-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction, he stated, Without entering into the
specifics, I can say that we are keeping a close watch on all activities there
There was a 73-day face-off at Doklam in 2017 after Indian troops blocked Chinese attempts to extend its motorable track towards the
Jampheri Ridge, which overlooks the strategically-vulnerable Siliguri Corridor
The PLA ever since has actually built military facilities and permanently deployed soldiers in north Doklam.Gen Pande stated India too had
taped a significant improvement in border facilities advancement
This included construction of 2,100-km of roads along the northern borders and 7,450-metre of bridges in the last 5 years
Shelters for 500 armoured vehicles and tanks and 400 artillery guns have been built in eastern Ladakh
Environments for 55,000 soldiers have also been finished in the last two years, he stated
Work is likewise in development for all-weather in addition to alternate connection , with tunnels being built in both Ladakh and Arunachal
Pradesh, he added.There is, however, still a long method to go
China has used the continuing over 32-month long military fight to build and combine its military positions and border infrastructure the
whole time the LAC in addition to upgrade its air bases facing India.
