Eastern front with China stable yet unpredictable: Lt Gen Kalita
The overall situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in the eastern theatre is presently stable and that the Indian military is fully prepared to deal with any eventuality, he said.
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GOC-in-Chief, Eastern Command Lt General Rana Pratap Kalita in Kolkata on Friday. (Express Photo by Partha Paul) The situation along the eastern border with China is “stable yet unpredictable”, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C, Eastern Command) Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita said on Friday.
The overall situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in the eastern theatre is presently stable and that the Indian military is fully prepared to deal with any eventuality, he said.
Addressing a press conference in Kolkata along with Major Gen DK Kushwah (General Service, Eastern Command), Lt Gen Kalita said, “The whole problem stems from the fact the border between India and China is not clearly demarcated and there are different perceptions regarding the actual Line of Control (LoC), leading to frictions and escalations at times.”
“The situation along the northern borders in both Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh is stable but unpredictable. The Army is constantly monitoring the activities taking place across the border,” he said, adding that “we are always prepared to tackle any challenges emerging out of it”.
About the increase in the number of Chinese troops on the eastern border, the GOC-in-C said, “We have come to know that there has been a gradual increase in the deployment of troops opposite our sectors besides infrastructural build-up by the PLA (People’s Liberation Army). It’s difficult to quantify the number of (Chinese) troops deployed in these areas. But we are continuously and closely monitoring the developments in these areas,” he said. China is building an alternative axis in the Chumbi valley, Lt Gen Kalita said. “This region is not very far from Chicken’s neck, also called the Siliguri corridor. They (Chinese) are increasing their footprint by building roads through the Bhutan territory,” he added.
Describing the Siliguri corridor as very important for the Eastern Command, the GOC-in-C said, “Geo-strategically, this corridor is really important to us. All our connectivity to the North East runs through this narrow passage. Required mechanism is in place to ensure that there is no disruption as far as maintenance of connectivity towards the North East is concerned. The PLA started infrastructural development in their own territory after the Doklam stand-off.”
Infrastructural development has been carried out “on our side” as well to ensure better response, if needed, he further said.
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