Ahead of the 17th round of talks between India and China, aimed at breaking the ice to ensure withdrawal of troops from the two left over friction points at Demchok and Depsang in eastern Ladakh sector, senior army officers deployed in the cold desert region have been grappling with the challenge of organising logistics for every foot soldier for the long winter season ahead.
Maintaining supply lines and ensuring logistics support to over 50,000 troops is going to be a herculean task for the third consecutive year. The two sides have been locked in the military standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since May 2020.
On the ground the troops of the Indian army are racing against time to further beef up their defences as the harsh winter season has already set in the high altitude region.
So far talks at the diplomatic and military levels have yielded positive results and led to de-escalation of tensions following clashes at the Galwan valley. At the same time the tough posturing by both the sides have so far prevented the complete withdrawal of troops to their pre April 2020 status.
Referring to the prevailing security situation on ground zero in the cold desert region of Eastern Ladakh the Indian army Chief General Manoj Pande Saturday maintained the situation in eastern Ladakh is “stable but unpredictable”. Gen Pande was speaking at an event 'Chanakya Dialogues' in New Delhi.
On the ground the Indian army is fully geared up to tackle the chilly weather conditions.
The troops deployed at the forward locations and high altitude posts have been adequately stuffed with winter clothing to ensure their good health in sub zero weather conditions.