Gen Rawat denies Chinese intrusion at Arunachal border

Speaking on the 22nd Foundation Day of Uttarakhand, Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat downplayed reports of China building villages near Arunachal Pradesh.

Dehradun: Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat downplayed reports of China building villages near Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday.

On reports of border dispute with China, Rawat said, "some time they(China) 'visit' several areas in Barahoti, Ladakh to the point where they perceive it as their border. "We, Indians also 'visit' the areas which we perceive as our border, but neither of us report on this."

Asked about the US report claiming China of settling up a village on India's border last week, Rawat said, "China knows India's border, we know our border too. We have secured our border and have not allowed anyone to settle in our country."

According to the annual report of the United States Department of Defence released last week, China has built a village with a strength of 100 houses in the disputed area of ​​Tibet near Arunachal Pradesh. The village built in the border area has been fully facilitated. Along with this, China has also laid high-speed railway tracks in the many areas near the border. The report further said that China has advanced its army along the LAC in eastern Ladakh and is now refusing to get it back.

The CDS appealed to the denizens against the migration. He hoped that Uttarakhand will maintain the present pace of growth, while addressing the state's 22nd Foundation Day.

Rawat said, "the state is moving in the right track and has been making progress in several areas. Tourism thrives. My message to the people here is: stay here and contribute to the state's development."

Speaking further, the CDS said, "the biggest issue of the state is migration due to the lack of arrangements and facilities in the state as it lies in the frontier. But now the roads are being built here and it leads up to the frontier."

Conceding the deficiencies in health infrastructure, the CDS said the government is already working on it.

"There is a need to focus on the education sector in the hilly terrains. The main problem of the education system is the accessibility to the schools. That has to be addressed first. If health and education infrastructure is developed and made accessible in the mountains, then nothing can stop the development," Rawat added.

Elaborating on the accessibility, the CDS said, talks are on to build a helipad and an advanced landing ground. "Everything will be done. One after the other. Migration will stop once people start benefiting from the government's action," he asserted.

Read: Gen Rawat holds talk with his Czech counterpart in Prague