We’re Making Roads Too: MEA on Chinese Village in Arunachal Report

NDTV had, on Monday, reported that “China has constructed a new village in Arunachal Pradesh”

India and China have been engaged in a nine-month-long standoff at the LAC.

(Photo: The Quint)

Responding to media reports stating that China has built a village in Arunachal Pradesh, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that, in response, the Indian government too has “stepped up” border infrastructure.

The MEA, according to ANI, said:

“In response, our government too has stepped up border infrastructure including the construction of roads, bridges etc, which has provided much-needed connectivity to the local population along the border.”   

Further, the MEA shared that they had seen the “recent reports” and claimed that “China has undertaken such infrastructure construction activity in the past several years.”

The MEA also said:

“Government remains committed to the objective of creating infrastructure along the border areas for the improvement of livelihood of its citizens, including in Arunachal Pradesh.”

The MEA claimed that the Indian government keeps a constant watch on all developments that have consequence to national security.

The MEA also said that the government “takes all the necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

CHINA BUILDS VILLAGE IN ARUNACHAL: REPORT

NDTV had on Monday, 18 January, reported that “China has constructed a new village in Arunachal Pradesh”. Satellite images accessed exclusively by NDTV reportedly showed that the new village consists of approximately of 101 homes.

NDTV reportedly procured those images from Planet Labs Inc.

Expert analysis of satellite images from 1 November 2020, according to NDTV, confirms that the construction is approximately 4.5 kilometre within the Indian territory of the de facto border. According to NDTV, expert analysis suggests that this will be of “huge concern” to India.

According to NDTV, the village also appears in the satellite image dated 1 November, 2019. However, there was reportedly no indication of any construction activity in a satellite image from 26 August 2019.

Thus, according to NDTV, the village was set up in 2020.

Further, according to NDTV, around the time when the satellite image of the village was taken, BJP MP from Arunachal Pradesh, Tapir Gao, had also warned the Lok Sabha of Chinese incursions in his state.

On Wednesday, Tapir Gao also told NDTV that construction is still going on.

“China has entered more than 60-70 km inside the upper Subansiri district if you follow the path along the river. They are constructing a road along the river known locally as the Lensi as it flows in the direction of the Subansiri river.’’   

Tapir Gao

According to NDTV, the foreign ministry has not given given a direct answer to whether the issue of the village construction has been raised with Beijing through diplomatic channels.

BACKGROUND

India and China have been engaged in a nine-month-long standoff at the LAC.

The tensions between India and China, which began in May, soared in June, when 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the Galwan Valley clashes. Amid the continuing border standoff in eastern Ladakh, several rounds of talks have been held at both the military and diplomatic levels, but there has been no clear resolution till yet.

RAHUL GANDHI TAKES ON MODI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reminding him of the promise he made to not let the country down.

Reacting to Gandhi's comment, BJP MP from Arunachal Pradesh blamed Congress' wrong policy on Chinese constructions along the border. “They didn't construct a road up to the border which left a buffer zone of 3-4 km which China occupied. Construction of new villages isn't a new thing, it's all inherited from Congress,” he said.

“Since the 80s till today, they (China) are occupying this area and construction of villages is not a new thing. They have already constructed a military base between Bisa and Maza which is inside McMahon Line, under Indian territory,” he added.

(With inputs from ANI and NDTV.)