Defence infra push underway in Ladakh amid China standoff
NEW DELHI: The Indian Army is building infrastructure at a rapid pace in eastern Ladakh with a focus on better living experience and improved facilities for soldiers, conservation of modern weapons and equipment deployed there, and supporting faster movement of men and material to deal with any contingency in the midst of the lingering border standoff with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the sensitive sector, officials familiar with the development said on Tuesday.
India has inducted thousands of extra troops and modern military weaponry into the Ladakh sector to counter the Chinese military build-up after the standoff began two and a half years ago. The altered dynamic along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) necessitated the infrastructure push aimed at enhancing efficiency of the army’s deployments, said one of the officials cited above, who asked not to be named.
The steps taken by the army to support its forward deployments along LAC include building of modular shelters for troops deployed at heights of up to 18,000 feet, habitat for reserve troops in rear locations, storage facilities for tanks, artillery guns, underground facilities for ammunition storage, airfields, and new roads, bridges and tunnels in difficult terrain for improved connectivity with forward areas.
The army has also built ponds in high altitude areas in Ladakh to provide drinking water to troops.
Infrastructure is not only coming up in Ladakh but also in the central (Uttarakhand) and eastern sectors (Sikkim and Arunachal
Pradesh) to cater to the army’s needs, said a second official.
“It’s very heartening to see the push being given to infrastructure development along LAC. At the altitudes at which the LAC lies, the quality of infrastructure will be a key factor in both peacetime border management and war,” said former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retd). To be sure, PLA has significantly modernised defence infrastructure across LAC after the standoff began in May 2020.
The army’s infrastructure push comes alongside efforts to upgrade military capability. The army is also pursuing the development of light tanks for mountain warfare and futuristic infantry combat vehicles (FICVS), as previously reported.
In January 2022, former army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane said the silver lining to the border crisis was that India used it as an opportunity to fast-track infrastructure development, undertake doctrinal reviews and fill operational voids through emergency purchases.
ARGENTINA DEFEATED
team, particularly its defence.
Playing in what is dubbed as the Arab World Cup, Saudi Arabia, ranked 51st in the world, turned the tables on the Latin American giants, ranked third in the FIFA list, in the space of five minutes in the second half. An angled shot by Al-shehri in the 48th minute was followed by a superb turn and shot by Al-dawsari in the 53rd, shaking off two defenders on the top of the box before unleashing a swerving, unstoppable shot past goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Argentina’s desperate attempts late in the game ran into the Saudi defensive wall with both winger Angel di Maria and Messi guilty of not taking a shot quickly when well placed. It ended the Copa America champions’ run of 36 victories on the trot, and has raised the prospect, however slim, of the giants not progressing into the knockouts. Poland and Mexico are the other teams in the group.
“Our team fulfils our dreams!” and “Where is Messi? We beat him!”, the Saudis chanted over and over in the Lusail Stadium. The Saudi government declared Wednesday a national holiday to celebrate the win.
Messi bemoaned Argentina’s second half lapse in concentration and urged fans to keep faith in the team. “In five minutes of mistakes that we made, we went 2-1 down and then it was really tough and we lost organisation and started punting the ball,” he said in comments broadcast by Todo Noticias. “It’s a situation that this group of players has never been through, it’s been a while since we suffered such a tough blow, we didn’t expect to start like this,” he said.
“It’s up to us to fix what we did wrong and get back to the basics of who we are. We’re OK, obviously hurt by the result, very bitter. But people must trust that this team will not let them down and we are going to go for it in the next two games. “Now’s the time to be more united than ever, to show how truly strong we are.”