Surya Gangadharan, CNN-IBN
New Delhi: The threat from
China looms large on India in the wake of improved roads and a proposed railway
line through the disputed region of Aksai Chin. In a few weeks from now,
China's ability to transport troops and equipment from bases in its North West
and East to the Indian border would have improved dramatically, thanks to
repairs and upgrades to key highways including the one running through Aksai
Chin, which is Indian territory controlled by China.
Indian Army sources say repairs
and upgrades to the Western Highway running 1,900 km from Urmuqi in Xinjiang
(an autonomous region located in the northwest of China) to Lhasa in Tibet also
include the portion which cuts through Aksai Chin.
The repairs to the highway will
enable faster movement of forces in case of a confrontation with India in Aksai
Chin.
Even more serious a threat is the
railway line that China plans to start work on by 2017. This line will cut
through Aksai Chin will run parallel to the Western Highway.
Sources say the combination of an
improved all-weather highway, further strengthened by the presence of a railway
line, will dramatically boost China's ability to transport vast number of
troops and equipment to the Indian border. Add to that the 2,000 km Central
Highway from Golmud to Lhasa and the 2,200 km Eastern Highway from Kunming to
Lhasa, that have also been improved and both of which run along the border with
India.
The Indian Army has responded by
moving observation units and patrols closer to the Line of Actual Control. A major
build up of forces is underway in Ladakh.
However, because of the lack of
all-weather roads, the Chinese, it is widely acknowledged, have the advantage
over India.
Courtesy: IBNLive
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