(Photo : Yawar Nazir/Getty Images)
Indian and Chinese Troops Face-off Along The Disputed Himalayan Border
GAGANGIR, KASHMIR, INDIA - JUNE 19: An Indian army convoy drives towards Leh, on a highway bordering China, on June 19, 2020 in Gagangir, India. As many as 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a "violent face-off" with Chinese troops on Tuesday in the Galwan Valley along the Himalayas. Chinese and Indian troops attacked each other with batons and rocks.
India has started the construction of border infrastructure against China in another border dispute. These structures will house men and equipment of the Indian forces.
Construction of relevant structures for its ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) is underway. These structures, along with the Indian-Chinese border, are needed to counter Beijing.
Border infrastructure is needed in the India-China Border
One of the problems during the Ladakh standoff was the lacked support structures that made it more difficult. There are roads, helipads, outposts, and 12 camps for the ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) that lies on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Another is the construction of a standalone road relevant to the border in Ladakh.
This is when encounters between the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Indian Army had casualties. It took several months to end the standoff along with places on the LAC.
From the Upper House of the Indian Parliament last March 15, Rajya Sabha had significance for border policies. India's Ministry of Home Affairs decided to commit expenses for the fiscal year 2020-21. Recent spending from $297 million (2156.09 crores) in 2019-20 for border projects, The Hindu, is a national daily.
A report by the government cited that the programs covered various construction projects. These are roads, foot tracks, and border outposts (BoPs), said the reports. About 335 miles of roads are done that run along the Chinese border with India.
China is wary of India before, and the Galway Valley Clash was no accident. Indian progress on border infrastructure, the Galway road is faster movement and logistics of troops. To the PLA, they cannot afford such an advantage for India.
Real Number of PLA Troopers Dead in Galwan Valley Clash Along China-India Border Still Unknown
One comment is that constructing the Karakoram Highway is a shortcut to avoid going the long route. Beijing needs to secure the shortest route avoiding the South China Sea (SCS).
Disengage is in few places on the LAC but the Ladakh border remains a hotspot. Pangong Tso is the only area where both armies are gone from northern and southern banks. Despite having an agreement with top military brass, the border conflict is still in place. Areas like the Depsang plains, Galway, and Gogra-Hot Springs area where troops are stationed still add more forces.
Indian planners outlined what they need to counter the PLA. Ladakh needs extreme vigilance with border patrols, fast and cheap deployment, with effective logistics. Indian officials are serious about achieving these goals to stop Beijing.
Building these support structures will keep the Chinese aggressive and increase national security. Diplomatic efforts to keep peace on the LAC are getting done to prevent fighting. Border roads will be important to move about swiftly and unobstructed movement of equipment and troops. With China and Pakistan on either side of, borders have border roads crucial.
India has to face the Iron Brother Chinese on one side, with Pakistanis on the other. To fight back and defend the borders, all these border infrastructures against China are crucial. Beijing looking for every advantage without fighting.
Beijing sees the border facilities as a threat to keep the borders hot. But, India is learning from what happened last year.
Real Number of PLA Troopers Dead in Galwan Valley Clash Along China-India Border Still Unknown
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Indian, Chinese Troops Withdraw from Lake Pangong Tso in the Himalayas
