Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Aug 1: The Centre today declared that it has been maintaining a close and constant vigil on all developments taking place in its neighbouring countries especially China, which have bearing on India’s security and taking all necessary security measures to safeguard the borders.
Replying to series of questions in Parliament today, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said the Government has been taking all possible measures through all resources at its command to protect and safeguard the country’s borders with its neighbouring countries including China in Eastern Ladakh and North Eastern States.
Jaitley announced that the Centre has kept Rs 1000 crores for construction of strategic railway lines leading to the border areas in the current financial year.
As a major initiative to improve infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China (including Ladakh and North East), the Government of India had identified 73 strategic border roads for immediate construction to boost military supplies right up to the LAC and match its infrastructure with China, which has roads right up to the areas bordering India.
Jaitley told the Parliament that out of 73 identified strategic roads, 17 have been completed.
Replying to the question tabled by Lok Sabha member E T Mohammad Basheer, the Defence Minister, however, admitted that there has been some delay in execution of strategic road projects due to delay in Forest/ Wildlife/ Environment clearance, hard rock stretches, limited working season and difficulties in availability of construction material.
“The Government of India has taken cognizance of the infrastructural developments along the border by neighbouring countries including China. The Government keeps a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on India’s security and takes all necessary measures to safeguard it,’’ Jaitley told the questioner.
He said the Government has taken measures to expedite pace of road projects by getting general approval from Ministry of Environment and Forest for diversion of forest land required for construction of roads, increasing air effort availability, approving modern machineries/equipments etc.
Apart from these measures, Jaitley said the Government has kept a provision of handsome amount of Rs 1000 crores in current financial year of 2014-15 for construction of strategic railway lines, leading to the border areas especially along China. The Centre had few days back approved four strategic border lines—three of which fall in North East and one in North India including Bilaspur-Manali-Leh.
The Defence Minister admitted that the Chinese troops violated a border pact signed between the two countries in October last year by tailing Indian troops in Eastern Ladakh in June, prompting India to lodge a protest on the issue.
“Since signing of the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA), Chinese troops, have on one occasion, violated the provision by tailing our patrol in Eastern Ladakh on June 2,” Jaitley said.
He added that a protest was lodged against this violation in the flag meeting held on July 15 between the troops of India and China on the LAC.
India and China signed the BDCA to maintain peace and tranquility along the LAC in October last year.
As part of the pact, the “two sides agreed that they shall not follow or tail patrols of the other sides in areas where there is no common understanding of the LAC in the Indo-China border areas”.
After signing the BDCA, the then Centre Government had warned that the pact was not a guarantee that incursions or transgressions would stop but would help in addressing issues along the border.
Replying to another query, the Minister said Navy’s INS Shivalik was deployed for participation in International Fleet Review (IFR) and multilateral maritime exercise at Qingdao in China from April 20-25.
“The IFR was cancelled in view of search and rescue of the missing Malaysian airliner MH-370, the multilateral exercise was held in which ships from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei participated,” Jaitley said.
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