With the 15-day stand-off ending in Chumar in ladakh, the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) will take stock of their response to the transgression of the Chinese troops and review the operational preparedness all along the 4,000 km long line of Actual Control (lAC).
The Indian and Chinese local commanders are likely to hold a flag meeting in Spanggur, ladakh on September 30 after the two countries decided to disengage from Chumar in a phased manner in four days on September 26.
This meeting is part of a confidence-building measure to ensure peace and tranquility on the lAC, officials said here on Sunday, adding the Army and the ITBP are monitoring the situation closely. While the Indian troops are stepping back from the stand-off point, the Chinese are withdrawing into their territory across the lAC after intruding into Tibley, known as 30R in Army parlance in Chumar. Officials also clarified that Indians are in their own territory so there is no question of withdrawal.
More than 1,000 Chinese and 1,500 Indian troops were engaged in an eyeball to eyeball confrontation for more than 15 days after the Indian forces stopped a Chinese patrol and construction team from building a road in Chumar. China, however, claimed they were in their zone and blamed Indians for transgressing more than six km into Chinese territory.
India is in an advantageous position in Chumar with all weather road connectivity right up to the lAC to ensure logistical support to troops. China, on the other hand, lacks road infrastructure there and has to rely on helicopter support to maintain its patrols as was the case during the stand-off. Food packets and other essential items were airdropped by the Chinese during the face-off whereas light vehicles provided support to the Indians.
As regards drawing lessons from the latest face-off, the security forces will carry out a detailed review in the next few weeks as the weather conditions will give a reprieve to them.
Elaborating upon this aspect, they said India and China curtail patrolling on the lAC during the winter months due to extreme cold and snow. While ladakh region does not get snow but temperatures dip to minus 30 degrees, heavy snow blocks patrol routes in middle and eastern sector of the lAC. While ladakh comprises western sector, Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand fall in middle sector while Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim are in the eastern sector.
The latest stand-off took place at a height of more than 14,500 feet and mercury has already dipped to minus two degrees and this factor was one of the reasons which forced the Chinese to agree to pull back, sources said.
Besides reviewing operational preparedness, the security establishment will also take stock of pace of creating infrastructure including roads and airfields in these remote regions, they said.
At least 75 roads in all the States facing China are termed as strategic and the construction of most of them is behind schedule. Giving an example, they said out of the 20 strategic roads in Arunachal, more than 70 per cent roads are yet to be completed thereby hampering quick movement of troops in case of any threat.