China maintaining around 60,000 troops opposite Ladakh, Indian preparedness also at high level: Govt sources

More than 20 months into the military standoff China has deployed around 60000 troops opposite the Indian territory in Ladakh and continuing its build infrastructure to help the faster movement of its forces to the Line of Actual Control LACThe Chinese numbers had surged significantly during the summer season as they brought in a large number of troops for summer training They have now gone back to their rear locations However they are still maintaining around 60000 troops in the areas opposite Ladakh government sources told ANIThe threat perception is there from the Chinese side as they continue to build infrastructure across the LAC New roads are being built opposite the Daulat Beg Oldie area and near the Pangong lake area they said Sources said the Indian side has also taken very strong steps to ensure that any possible misadventure from the Chinese side The Indian Army has brought in the forces of the counterterrorism Rashtriya Rifles Uniform Force into the Ladakh theatre on the Eastern front even as the infrastructure buildup is continuing from the Indian side tooMeanwhile on January 1 Global Times which is a Chinese stateaffiliated media confirmed the presence of Chinese troops at Galwan valleyIn the Galwan Valley near the border with India under the characters ldquoNever yield an inch of landrdquo PLA soldiers send new year greetings to Chinese people on January 1 2022 pictwittercomNxHwcarWesmdash Global Times globaltimesnews January 1 2022Sources said that the Indian Army is keeping all the mountain passes open to rush in troops if they are required at any of the friction points there Sources said the Indian side is in the eyeball to eyeball situation with the Chinese troops only at one or two locations as at most of the places two armies are separated by buffer zones Both sides are also deploying a large number of surveillance drones over the buffer zones to keep an eye on the movement of each others troops Sources said the Chinese are finding the winter deployments very harsh as they are rotating troops at forward locations very fastDuring their maiden deployment in the extreme winters in highaltitude locations they were being rotated almost daily as they were suffering a lot of coldrelated injuriesOn the Chinese aggression which started in AprilMay last year the Defence Ministry in its YearEnd review had stated that unilateral and provocative actions by the Chinese to change the status quo by force in more than one area on the LAC has been responded to as an adequate measure To resolve the issue the militaries of the two countries have been engaged in dialogue at various levels After sustained joint efforts disengagement was carried out at many locations Force levels in areas where disengagement has yet to take place have been adequately enhancedThreat assessment and internal deliberations have resulted in reorganization and realignment of forces in keeping with the Armys mandate of ensuring territorial integrity and to cater for the major augmentation of PLA forces and military infrastructure Troops continue to deal with Chinese troops in a firm resolute and peaceful manner while ensuring the sanctity of Indias claimsUpgradation and development of infrastructure along the Northern Borders are being carried out in a holistic and comprehensive manner including roads tunnels for allweather connectivity four Strategic railway lines additional bridges across the Brahmaputra upgradation of bridges on critical IndoChina border roads and storage for supplies fuel and ammunition Major efforts have also been undertaken to identify dualuse infrastructureAlso Read China says Arunachal Pradesh part of it since ancient times India retortsWith inputs from ANI