China builds road and helipad near Uttarakhand border amid standoff with India
Story Background
China has been engaged in a border standoff with India for over three years, especially in the northern and eastern sectors of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The two countries have witnessed several clashes and face-offs along the disputed boundary, resulting in casualties and tensions on both sides.
Latest development
According to sources in the defence and security establishment, China has now shifted its focus to the middle sector of the LAC, which borders the Indian states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. The sources said that China has started building a road and a helipad near the border in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, opposite to India’s Niti Pass. The sources also said that China has set up new camps near Niti Pass and Tunjun Pass.
Implications
The road and helipad construction by China is seen as a part of its expansionist policy and an attempt to enhance its military infrastructure and connectivity along the LAC. The sources said that the helipads would enable faster movement of troops and equipment in case of a war-like situation. The road would also help in connecting roads along the LAC in the central sector opposite Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
India’s response
India has been giving impetus to bolster its military preparedness and infrastructure in the middle sector in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, in the wake of China’s transgressions along the LAC. In December 2022, India and the United States conducted their joint exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ in the middle sector at Auli, which is about 100 km from the LAC.
India has also been black-topping and double-laning the Ghatiabagar-Lipulekh road, which leads to the last border post of the Lipulekh pass on the India-China border. A six-km-long tunnel will also be constructed between Bundi and Garbiyang on this road to make the way smoother.
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