Antony denies land is under chinese

• No ceding of land to china
• Denies reports of 640 sq km territory under Chinese control
• India trying to catch up on infra development on the border
• Stand-off as both nations treat many points along LAC as their own

Anita Saluja

New Delhi: Union Defence Minister A K Antony has asserted that there is no question of India ceding any part of Indian territory to China. He rubbished media reports that National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) Chairman Shyam Saran had given a report to the Prime Minister that 640 sq km of Indian territory was recently occupied by Chinese troops.

Assuring both the Houses of Parliament that there will no let-up in developing Defence capability, he however, admitted that China was better placed with regard to developing the infrastructure along the Sino-Indian border. “Compared to India, China is superior,” admitted the Defence Minister but went on to say that India is moving fast. “India is trying to catch up” in developing the infrastructure, roads and several other capabilities, which it neglected in the past due to its inherited legacy.

Giving a detailed reply in the Rajya Sabha, Antony explained that there are many points in the Line of Actual Control (LAC) which both the sides think it belongs to them, the reason why it is a disputed territory. He said that the patrolling by both the sides is as per their perception of the border which often leads to tension and stand-off. Without going into details, he stated that there will be no freezing of Indian capabilities and the government will continue to strengthen the capabilities in border areas and protect national interests.

Antony unveiled a two-pronged strategy. In the short-term, the effort would be to maintain peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). In the long-term, the government would strive to find an amicable and enduring settlement to the border row. Both India and China have been entrusted the responsibility of negotiating the border dispute to Special Representatives. Till the border settlement is reached, the Government will take all steps to protect Indian national interests and there will be no compromise on it.

The Defence Minister pointed out that NSAB Chairman Shyam Saran submitted a report on infrastructure in Ladakh, primarily focusing on the border infrastructure. The report also deals with several aspects relating to the region covering a broad spectrum of activities and requirements.

Shyam Saran’s report reviews the progress in development of border infrastructure required to ensure connectivity between Ladakh and neighbouring areas. Issues such as availability of modern machinery for construction and maintenance of roads, upgradation of roads, tunneling and alternate alignments, among others, have also been discussed. The report also deals with the requirement of air facilities in the region, as also issues relating to land acquisition and environmental and wildlife clearances.

Other matters such as employment opportunities to local youth, tourism, mobile and internet connectivity, law and order, better equipment and facilities for ITBP, certain grievances of local people, among others, have further been covered in the report.

In Lok Sabha, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, who provides crucial outside support to the Government, described the Government as “useless” in dealing with China and wanted to know if the government was ready to tackle China. In the Rajya Sabha, the Opposition took the Government to task and said it was in the denial mode over the string of incidents of incursions by China. Ravi Shankar Prasad and Balbir Punj (BJP), D Raja (CPI), Jaya Bachchan (SP) and Derek O’Brien (TMC) were among the several MPs, who voiced grave concerns.