Conflict

‘China has secretly undertaken military infrastructure upgrade in Sikkim, Ladakh’

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New Delhi: Amid the world’s attention on India-China standoff at LAC in Ladakh, China has “secretly” undertaken a large military infrastructure upgrade in the central, Sikkim and eastern sectors and has also strengthened the surface-to-air missile sites, an increase in unmanned aerial vehicle numbers, and an expansion of airbases, in Tibet.

A Delhi based newspaper Hindustan Times reported that PLA’s force accretion in East Ladakh is something that reduces the chances of the status quo ante being restored at friction points.

It said the Indian military commanders are concerned about the build-up across the LAC, from Kaurik Pass in Himachal Pradesh to Fish Tail I and II in Arunachal Pradesh.

Quoting military commanders and national security planners who spoke on condition of anonymity, the report said that over the past month they noticed the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) engage in road construction at Churup village right across Kaurik pass in the central sector and that it has placed new container housing modules around Tunjum La, north of the contested Barahoti plains in Uttarakhand, just 4km from the 565km LAC in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

They said, Shiquanhe, a garrison depot 82km from Demchok LAC with Gar Gunsa airport, has become a hub for Beijing’s relocation of troops and heavy equipment.

Quoting the Indian military planners further, the report said that position of Shiquanhe is such that it can serve as the main logistics supply depot from Demchok to Barahoti plains.

In eastern sector, an electronic warfare unit has been deployed at Nyanglu, 60km from the Arunachal Pradesh border, in an old 1962 war PLA camp.

This unit, according military planners, is a strategic support force with four counterspace jammers, possibly oriented towards Indian GSAT communication and commercial satellites.

The Chinese troops redeployment was also seen by Indian personnel at Yebi with heightened PLA surveillance at Bum La. The PLA’s intelligence and surveillance activity has picked up all along the 3,488km LAC with specific focus being noticed across Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and the Galwan sector in East Ladakh, the military planners added. Evidence of this heightened surveillance comes in the form of the construction of communication towers at Changmu, 27km from the LAC and north of Sebu La in Sikkim, the report said quoting Indian officers.

The report quoting Indian military commanders, said that Cinese have also speeded up the strengthening of depth areas with new missile transporter erector launchers seen at the surface-to-air missile site in the Kashgar airbase, 475km from the western sector LAC.

The Kashgar and Hotan bases are patrolling the skies in Aksai Chin with both the military bases showing the presence of heavy transport lift planes. There have been fresh troop and equipment dugouts under camouflage nets reported from Kangxiwar, 112km from the LAC across Karakoram Pass, the report added.

At the Hoping airbase in Shigatse, opposite the Sikkim sector, the number of military UAVs has increased, with military logistics capacity being increased at the Lhasa airbase.

The massive road-communications-surveillance upgrade all along LAC indicates that the PLA could open other fronts on the LAC if the worst-case scenario materialises in East Ladakh.

The report added that India’s national security planners are closely monitoring the movement of the military dialogue between the two armies while keeping troops on high alert even in the central and eastern sectors.

 

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