A bridge is being constructed by China on Pangong lake in areas that have continued to be under the illegal occupation of China since 1962, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan informed the Lok Sabha on Friday (February 4), adding that the Government of India has never accepted this illegal occupation.
High-resolution satellite imagery of the bridge from January 16, acquired from US space technology company Maxar by NDTV, shows the bridge is eight meters wide and more than 400 meters long, and Chinese workers are using a heavy crane to place concrete slabs between pillars before the laying of the tarmac.
“Government gives careful and specific attention to the improvement of infrastructure for the development of border areas to facilitate the economic development of these areas as also to meet India’s strategic and security requirements. The government also keeps a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on India’s security and takes all necessary steps to ensure that our security interests are fully protected,” Muraleedharan said.
A bridge being built by China across the Pangong lake in an area claimed by India is expected to be finished in a few months and will give the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) an advantage in speedily moving troops between numerous locations. The bridge is located south of a key PLA position on the north bank of Pangong lake. It is being built at a spot where the two banks of the lake are about 500 meters apart.
Chinese forces currently take almost 10 hours to traverse about 200 km to get from the north bank to Rutog, driving around the lake. Once completed, the bridge will cut the distance between Chinese troop positions on the north bank to a key PLA base at Rutog by around 150 km.
MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a media conference,
“Govt has been monitoring this activity closely. This bridge is being constructed in areas that have been under illegal occupation by China for around 60 yrs. Govt taking steps to ensure our security interests are protected,”
“As part of these efforts, the government has also, in the last seven years, increased significantly the budget for the development of border infrastructure and completed more roads and bridges than ever before,” he said.
Arindam Bagchi also added
“We had conveyed our views on such a ridiculous exercise to support untenable territorial claims. Instead of engaging in such antics, we hope that China will work constructively with us to resolve the outstanding friction points in areas along with the Western Sector of the LAC in India-China border areas,”.
The MEA also touched upon the incident of the Chinese embassy writing to Indian MPs on their participation at an event, saying that Beijing should refrain from hyping the normal activities by Indian MPs and complicate further the situation in our bilateral relations. “The substance, tone, and tenor of the letter are inappropriate. The Chinese side should note that India is a vibrant democracy and Indian MPs as representatives of people undertake activities as per their beliefs,” he added.
