Lieutenant General Rana Pratap Kalita, Eastern Army Commander, said on Monday that China is engaged in infrastructure capacity enhancement across the international border in Arunachal Pradesh.

Admitting that the hostile terrains and inclement weather are major challenges in this border front, Kalita said that infrastructure building is being carried out, roads are constructed and old advanced landing grounds are revived in the Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh.

He said that India is also constantly upgrading its infrastructure and capabilities to deal with any situation which may arise along the border.

“Across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Tibet region, a lot of infrastructure upgradation is going on. The other side is continuously developing their road, rail and air connectivity as well as 5G mobile network to improve their position to respond to a situation or mobilise forces,” Kalita told the media.

The Chinese authorities have built border villages close to the LAC and there are possibilities these can be used for dual purposes, he said, adding that the Indian Army is ready with “high level of operational preparedness”.

“The border villages can be used for civilians as well as to mobilise troops to the forward areas,” he said.

The Eastern Army Commander further said: “We are always closely monitoring the situation. The actual border line is not accurately demarcated, especially along the McMahon Line, creating different perceptions of the border between India and China that are not agreed upon by both countries.”

Any intrusion whenever taking place along the border with China and whatever is reported, that is only due to the perceptional matter even though there has been no major case of intrusion since the 1962 war, he said.

“We expect there would be no problem along the border once the boundary is properly demarcated,” Kalita said.

He added: “The border in the eastern frontier has varied challenges. The Indian Army has displayed exemplary professionalism and bravery. It was extremely eventful during the past one year and we have dealt with all the challenges. We are fully-prepared to effectively deal with all the challenges in future as well.

“We have robust mechanisms in place in line with the existing bilateral agreements and protocols to defuse tension and work towards peace along the LAC.”

(The story has been published via a syndicated feed.)