New Delhi, 5 August: While the dispute over the Depsang plains and hot springs along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has not been resolved till the 16th round of military talks even as the Chinese Army has built concrete watchtowers with multiple CCTVs in their occupied areas at both the places to keep an eye on the deployment of Indian troops.
In response, Indian Army has also strengthened its position and additional forces are being deployed.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police is responsible for forward posts along the LAC. An ITBP official, guarding China’s border, said that ground reports suggest that the Chinese army is continuing its construction in disputed areas along the LAC,18 kms inside India’s claim lines.
According to intelligence reports, the Chinese have built more watchtowers in the hot springs and in the Depsang plains. To resolve the dispute between these two areas, the 16th round of military talks between India and China was held last month. Even after pressure on the issue, Chinese army refused to restore the status quo in Eastern Ladakh in April 2020.
Indian military veterans and intelligence experts have expressed apprehension that Chinese forces are planning to create a new status quo along the border to claim ownership of the territory they occupied. The ITBP official said that in July last year, China had built surveillance posts equipped with CCTV cameras inside India for the first time.
However, India has also put up temporary (unmanned) watchtower poles with digital cameras to track the movements of the Chinese military. Recently, an intelligence report revealed the construction of new bunkers along the LAC in the Chinese-held area. Apart from this, strengthening of other infrastructure by China has also been revealed inside India’s Claim Lines (LAC) in Ladakh.
A Defence Ministry source says that the construction by the Chinese forces on the Indian side of the LAC is a complete violation of the boundary agreement. China’s construction work is underway amid military talks between the two countries to resolve the border standoff.
So far, Chinese army has “partially” retreated to create a ‘buffer zone’ from the Galwan Valley, both banks of Pangong Lake and Gogra Post. China has refused to budge from the hot springs and the strategically important Depsang plains. Reports claim China has been building roads and settlements for its troops in the Depsang plains and elsewhere for several months.
