Army foils Chinese checkers on Ladakh canal

Leh/New Delhi, Nov. 6: Unfazed by the “sit-in” by the Chinese border guards at Demchok in Ladakh that led to a face-off with Indian troops earlier this week, Army engineers have finished the work for laying a water pipeline for irrigation purpose for local villagers in Ladakh division.

Chinese had pressed its People’s Armed Police Force (PAPF) personnel at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Demchok this time instead of usual PLA who came to erect a fibrereinforced plastic (FRP) hut on Friday at the border but was not allowed by the Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) troops, official sources said.

The sources said that while the face-off between the two sides continued for three days ending Saturday evening, the Army engineers, ignored the warnings by PAPF personnel and continued laying pipeline for nearly a kilometre for irrigation purpose of the villagers in Demchok, located 250 km east of Leh.

According to the sources, the formula of “active patrolling” adopted by the ITBP and army ever since 2013 fortnight long standoff near Daulat Beig Oldie has been reaping rich dividends and Chinese have been cautious in carrying out incursion especially in Ladakh sector.

This time also, the sources said, the Army and ITBP personnel did not allow the PAPF guards to erect the hut and they were forced to take the material back to their base camp.