New Delhi: Konchok Stanzin, councillor of Eastern Ladakh’s Chushul constituency on Thursday, November 18 wrote to Union defence minister Rajnath Singh demanding an alternative plot of land for the residents of the India-China border in the state, citing a “warlike situation” which has prevailed in the region for the past year, the Hindu reported.
Stanzin handed over a three-page letter to Singh, who was in Chushul to inaugurate a renovated war memorial at the site of a 1962 battle between India and China.
In the letter, the councillor detailed the situation prevailing at India’s border in Ladakh, laying down the plight of the Indian citizens residing at the border as well as certain steps which need to be taken for the benefit of these people as well as the country at large.
Describing the border situation over the past year as “unprecedented”, Stanzin demanded land for the Leh border residents “to give safe shelter during [a] warlike situation.” He also demanded 4G mobile towers for nine border villages to improve connectivity in the region, noting that, “…China, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh are far better than India in terms of communication facilities at their border villages.”
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Stanzin also called for the connection of the Durbuk block and other areas of the Changthang to the Northern Grid to ensure a reliable supply of electricity. Additionally, he demanded all villages in Chushul be connected with optical fibre, medical centres be set up and educational infrastructure be set up in the area, noting that, “It is only with proper infrastructure at the border [that] India can feel confident internally and externally and exhibit boldness in its foreign policy,” the Economic Times reported.
The councillor’s letter also noted that the Indian Army cadres deployed in Chushul have been restricting local residents from grazing their livestock on “traditional pastureland”, contrasting them with their Chinese counterparts who, according to Stanzin, allow their citizens to move freely.”
“They [the Chinese] very often use their nomad community to transgress on our land in a step-by-step approach,” the letter noted while talking about Indian border residents being restricted. “The nomads on the Indian side are soldiers without uniform,” Stanzin continued.
Since the clashes at Galwan in May of last year, Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a stand-off at several border areas in Eastern Ladakh. Following a subsequent clash in Chushul on the bank of the Pangong Tso lake, troops have reportedly disengaged from the area.
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Since then, officials from both nations have participated in 13 rounds of talks, yet the impasse continues
