While there are reports of infrastructure build-up on the Chinese side, what does not come to the fore is what infrastructure has been developed on our side, Army chief Gen Manoj Pande said on Thursday, stating that there has been “marked improvement” and there are plans not only for all-weather connectivity but also alternative connectivity.
Terming the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China as “stable but unpredictable”, the Army chief said that in terms of numbers, there has been a slight increase in the number of Chinese troops opposite the Army’s Eastern command, which he said came for training and have remained. He said five of the seven flashpoints have been resolved with the ongoing talks at various levels.
Elaborating on infrastructure development, Gen. Pande said purely in terms of border roads, in the past five years, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed close to 6,000 km of roads pan-India; of this, 2,100 km has been along the northern borders. As for the upgradation of bridges, which are needed to carry guns, tanks among others, as much as 7,450 metres of bridges were constructed, he stated.
“The frontier road, which is a total of 1,800 km, will connect various valleys in Arunachal Pradesh. The plan has been reenergised and funding has been assigned. Some work on it is already underway,” the Army chief said.
There is the aspect of all-weather connectivity in both Ladakh and Kameng in Arunachal, he further stated. In Ladakh, there is the Zojila tunnel and the Z-Morh tunnel, which will link the valley to Ladalkh and will be operationalised by the end of the year. “We will have all weather connectivity from that side.”
For connectivity to Leh from the other side, Atal tunnel is well known. However, there is also the Shinku la tunnel along Nemu-Padam-Daricha road, which again is in the final stages of approval, Gen. Pande noted. “Once this happens, there will be all weather connectivity from both sides to Ladakh.”
Speaking about Arunachal, he said there is also better all-weather connectivity to Tawang or Kameng sector. Sela tunnel is likely to get operational by middle of the year and one bridge further South at Nechiphu near Bomdila.
“In addition, there is also plan for an alternate connectivity to the all important Darbuk-Skyok-Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) road through Saser la... So there are plans not only for all-weather connectivity but also alternate connectivity,” Gen. Pande stressed.
On strategic railway lines being planned, Gen. Pande said that two are planned in the North East and one in Ladakh and the “final survey has been completed and the source of funding is currently under discussion.”
“In the context of habitats, especially Eastern Ladakh, we have close to 55,000 troops for whom habitat has been completed,” he shared. There has also been covered heated accommodation for 400-odd guns and 500 A-vehicles such as tanks and infantry vehicles, he added.
“Overall, ₹1,300 crore has been spent in the last three years focussing on infrastructure and habitat in Ladakh,” he said, adding that there are aspects of locally made Sheela shelters, looking at more green solutions like fuel cells to meet energy requirements and so on.
Speaking of the Army’s inventory in terms of vintage and state-of-the-art equipment, the Army Chief said it is presently 45% vintage, 41% current and 12-15% state-of-art equipment. As per the Army’s modernisation plans that are underway, he said it should reach a ratio of close to 35% current and 44% state-of-art equipment.
On the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, Gen. Pande said the ceasefire understanding reached in February 2021 is “holding well” while cross-border support to terrorism and terror infrastructure continues to remain.
Giving an overview of the transformation of the Army that is underway, Gen Pande said it is being undertaken across five key domains -- restructuring and optimisation, modernisation and technology infusion, Human Resource management like Agnipath scheme, Jointness and integration, and refining and improving systems and processes.
He also shared that the Army is looking to induct women officers into the Regiment of Artillery and the proposal has been sent to the government, which would mark women in combat arms.
Atal tunnel, inaugurated in October 2020, was designed for 3,000 passenger cars per day but almost 7,500 vehicles are crossing it every day, as reported by The Hindu earlier. On the DS-DBO road, 35 bridges on it are currently being upgraded to Class-70 specifications, which will allow them to handle heavy tanks and artillery. The upgradation is expected to be completed in 1-2 years.
Looking for alternatives
The Army has carried out an assessment on the reliance on some of the Soviet and Russian-origin equipment in its inventory in the backdrop of the continuing war in Ukraine and is trying to identify alternative sources for spares and ammunition that has been impacted, the Army chief said.
In terms of supplies from these countries, he said, “Yes, there has been an impact. We have put out a plan to overcome this and as we move forward, we will be able to overcome this challenge successfully.”
The sustenance of these weapon systems and equipment, in terms of spares and ammunition, is one issue that we have addressed, the Army chief said, stating, “We got a waiver and sanction to procure, even if it is ex-imports, for the next two to three years. We have 40 such cases, including spares and ammunition, largely pertaining to air defence and tank fleet. We are looking at how the sustenance requirement is met.”
He said they are also looking to find alternative sources of supply of these spares and noted that it is a good opportunity for the Indian industry to step up and see in which areas they can meet the Army’s requirements.
Further, Gen. Pande said the Army has carried out a detailed analysis of various lessons that it threw for India -- on weapon systems, tactics and operational procedures -- and they will be applied and incorporated in the Indian context.
