Army chief says situation in Doklam ‘absolutely fine’
The situation in Doklam is “absolutely fine” and there is no reason to worry, army chief Bipin Rawat said here on Wednesday, amid reports of China developing defence infrastructure near the strategically key area.
Commenting on last year’s Doklam standoff, Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said “frequent” instances of transgression by the Chinese army across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the Doklam incident were an indication of increasing assertiveness by China.
Admiral Lanba, who is also chairman of chiefs of staff committee, while addressing a conference, said the face-off at Doklam has also underscored the vulnerability of Siliguri Corridor, a 22 km-long narrow stretch linking the northeast with rest of India.
“(It is) absolutely fine. There is nothing to worry,” General Rawat told reporters on the sidelines of the event when asked about the current situation in Doklam.
Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day-long standoff in Doklam last year after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed trijunction by the Chinese Army.
Addressing the conference on bridging gaps and securing borders in the north-eastern region, Admiral Lanba said despite the cartographic differences with China, peace and tranquillity has been maintained along the LAC for several decades.
NEW DELHI: