Rajnath moves to Ladakh to resolve army’s ‘land issues’

A huge rush to the LAC over the year due to a spike in tension with China has given rise to a slew of unique problems including land issues, writes senior journalist Sanjib Kr Baruah.

New Delhi:About a year after 50,000 Indian soldiers along with their war-like equipment were rushed close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, the government has embarked on an effort to provide infrastructure to its troops whose deployment has acquired permanency for all practical purposes. The move is being heralded by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s two-day visit to Ladakh beginning on Sunday where he will hold discussions with senior military and civil administration officials besides visiting forward positions.

The troop mobilization by India and China’s People Liberation Army (PLA) began after relations between the two Asian giants deteriorated to unprecedented levels in many decades after brutal border brawls beginning April-May 2020. According to sources, with the military effort gaining steam, a lot of land, infrastructure and logistics issues had cropped up as a huge numbers of troops have had to be positioned, with permissions to acquire land for the military topping the slew of problems.

The minister’s effort is part of the attempt to resolve the land issue as well as consolidate Indian military presence in the region in the backdrop of the Chinese bellicose attitude. On the face of it, land acquisition in the Union Territory of Ladakh is no longer expected to be a problem as it was when Ladakh was part of the undivided state of Jammu and Kashmir before August 5, 2019.

Read:Ladakh admin renovating Rezang La memorial on Sino-Indian border

The minister is also expected to look at ways of addressing local concerns in the area where the tourism industry has been hit by restrictions in hotspots like the Pangong Lake which saw fierce standoffs and brawls between the Indian and Chinese armies. In February, the two sides had disengaged troops and tanks from a standoff from the Pangong Tso region. It is pertinent to point out here that China has already taken steps to perk up tourism in the Pangong Tso.

The defence minister is also expected to take a comprehensive look at India’s operational readiness in eastern Ladakh even as the process of disengagement and the consequent de-escalation has entered a stalemate at many points including Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang. Singh’s visit comes on the back of a fresh slanging match between India and China. India on Thursday had said China was responsible for seriously disturbing peace and tranquility in the region as it had amassed a huge number of troops close to the border and attempted to unilaterally alter the status quo along the LAC. The Indian response came after China justified its military moves to ward off “encroachment and threat” on Chinese territory by India.

Read:India and China agree to maintain dialogue to resolve LAC standoff in eastern Ladakh