Amid the prolonged stand-off with China in Eastern Ladakh, Army Chief Gen. Manoj Naravane on Wednesday visited the forward areas and reviewed the ground situation along the south bank of Pangong Tso (lake), where the Indian Army had dominated several unoccupied peaks on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in August-end.
Also read: India 'totally' responsible for LAC situation: China
“The Chief of Army Staff [COAS] visited forward areas of the Fire and Fury Corps, including Rechin La, and undertook a first-hand assessment of the situation along the LAC. Gen. Naravane also undertook an on the spot inspection of the habitat of the troops on the forward line of defences at Rechin La,” the Army said. He appreciated the efforts made by the formation to make troops comfortable along the LAC, it stated.
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Gen Naravane was briefed by Lt. Gen. PGK Menon, 14 Corps Commander, and other commanders on the operational preparedness of the forces. During the one- day visit to the Leh-based 14 Corps, he also visited forward base Tara and interacted with the local commanders and troops.
Also read: India rejects China's 'unilateral' claims on LAC
In a pre-emptive move on August 29 and 30, the Army occupied some unoccupied heights in the Chushul sector from Thakung to Rechin La within the Indian perception of the LAC, foiling the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) attempts to dominate the heights. The Army had said that PLA troops carried out aggressive moves on the night of August 29 to change the status quo on the south bank of Pangong Tso (lake) and those have been thwarted. Since then troops of both sides are facing off in close proximity with tanks deployed few hundred metres apart in some locations.
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Corps Commander-level talks
Eight rounds of Corps Commander-level talks in addition to diplomatic talks have so far failed to reach any breakthrough in disengagement and de-escalation along the LAC. With no end to impasse, the Army has built extreme weather habitat to accommodate the thousands of troops sitting in high altitudes and extreme weather in the winter.
Temperatures have already dropped in some locations to minus 30 degrees, an officer said. With harsh winters, it was now a game of wait and watch and holding on to the positions for the next three months, the officer noted.
The Army has deployed around 50,000 troops in addition to tanks and other equipment along the disputed boundary in Eastern Ladakh to match the Chinese deployments since the beginning of the stand-off in early May after ingress and build-up by PLA troops at several locations on the Indian side of the LAC.
Last week, the two sides held another round of Joint Secretary-level talks, following which the 9th round of senior military commander talks are expected to be held shortly.