Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Oct.9: China’s military build-up in eastern Ladakh and new infrastructure construction to support the large-scale deployment are causes for concern, and India has been closely monitoring all Chinese PLA activities, said Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane on Saturday.
If the Chinese military maintains its deployment through the second winter, he believes it will result in a situation similar to the Line of Control (LoC), though not as active as the one that exists on the western front with Pakistan.
“Yes, it is a matter of concern that the large-scale build-up has occurred and continues to be in place, and to sustain that kind of a build-up, there has been an equal amount of infrastructure development on the Chinese side. So, it means that they (PLA) are there to stay. We are keeping a close watch on all these developments, but if they are there to stay, we are there to stay too ” he said.
He also said that the build-up and the infrastructure development on the Indian side are as good as that of the PLA.
Following the stalemate in eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army realised it needed to do more in the area of ISR, according to the Army Chief (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance).
Following a severe clash in the Pangong lake area, a border standoff between Indian and Chinese military erupted on May 5 last year in eastern Ladakh. Both sides gradually increased their deployment by bringing in tens of thousands of troops and heavy equipment.
The two sides completed the disengagement process in the Gogra area in August after a series of military and diplomatic consultations. According to the agreement, the two sides completed the evacuation of troops and weapons from the north and south banks of the Pangong lake in February.
In the sensitive area of the LAC, each side has between 50,000 and 60,000 troops.
