Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 11: With China’s Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) retreating to their original posting from village Demchok along un-demarcated Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh sector following India’s aggressive postures, the Government has taken up more developmental works at Demchok for welfare of the people along with Army, which was already laying water supply pipes.
This is for the first time when Chinese troops had to retreat to their original positions at Demchok following aggression shown by the Indian troops and they returned without any meeting or assurance from the Indian side. The PLA troopers were told categorically that the Army and civil administration was engaged in the works well within their territory and that the welfare measures for the people were not going to be stopped.
Deputy Commissioner, Leh, Prasanna Ramaswamy told the Excelsior that they have taken up three significant development works now at Leh, which were going on uninterruptedly after blunt reply by the Army to the PLA that there would be no talks with them on their overtures to stop civilian works on flimsy grounds of un-demarcated LAC.
Ramaswamy, who would be personally visiting Demchok in next few days for reviewing progress of the works, said they have taken up solar lighting project in the village for which wire work was on, the water supply pipes were being laid by the Army while another work for construction of residential quarters for staff in the Medical Sub Centre was on.
“Three major developmental works are in progress at Demchok-two of which have been taken up by the civil administration and another by the Army. The work continued uninterruptedly even when the PLA troops and Indian Army were in stand-off modes at Demchok. The works would be completed well in time,” the Deputy Commissioner, Leh said.
Official sources said Army Engineers were going ahead with laying water supply pipes in Demchok to connect it with Hot Spring Waters to provide drinking water supply to the village while civil administration was engaged in laying wire for solar lighting to lit up the area even without electricity. The people of the remote border villages will get round-the-clock medical facilities with construction of residential quarters at the Medical Sub Centre.
Ever since Chinese army started showing aggressions along LAC to disrupt works, this is for the first time that they had to retreat after camping along LAC for two-days in pre-fabricated huts, which they had installed after objecting to works in Demchok and Indian Army’s outright refusal to stop them on the ground that they (the works) were being carried out well within the Indian territory.
On November 2, Sino-Indian troops were again in stand-off mode at Demchok along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh after PLA had objected to laying of water pipes on the Indian side.
The fresh face-off had come within days after India and China troops conducted joint tactical exercises in Eastern Ladakh and held frequent meetings between them, the latest one being on Diwali festival at two Border Meeting Points (BMPs) including Chushul and Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO).
The administration had started construction work for irrigation canal with the help of Army Engineers and local people. The work was being executed under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
The Chinese troops had raised objections to the construction work on the ground that there was no demarcation of the LAC between the two sides and described area as “disputed”. However, the Chinese side was bluntly told by the authorities that the work is being carried out well within the Indian side for providing regular water supply to the people of border village of Demchok by constructing irrigation canal and linking it with Hot Spring water.
The area had witnessed a similar incident in 2014 after it was decided to construct a small irrigation canal at Nilung Nalla under the MGNREGA scheme which had been a sore point with the Chinese.
The PLA had mobilized villagers from Tashigong to pitch Rebos (tents) at Charding-Ninglung Nallah (CNN) Track Junction to protest Indian action.
The ‘Hot Spring’ is different from the one in Chashool where Police Day is observed in the memory of 10 CRPF men killed in 1959 by Chinese troops.
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