India has started building a strategic road along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. This road will largely follow the path of the Indus River and will be designed to match the blacktop surface link on the Chinese side. The purpose of this road is to strengthen India’s presence in the region and to counter any potential aggression from China.
India’s Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is constructing the 135km road along the LAC in order to bridge a significant gap in connectivity between strategically important Chushul South of Pangong Tso and Demchok in Eastern Ladakh.
The project kickstarted on Republic Day of this year and is slated to be completed in the coming two years. Once it is fully constructed and ready for use, it will provide rapid access to the Tibetan refugee settlement of Dungti overlooking ITBP’s Hena post, and the advance landing ground at Fukche.
The approval for the construction of the road was given by the Jammu & Kashmir government in March 2016. The road is expected to boost tourism in the area if the forces allow tourists to venture into these areas.
These developments come amid repeated tussles between India & China at the Line of Action control in the Indo-Sino border, especially with the recent clash between the two armed forces in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh.
