BY SUMIT KUMAR SINGH
China is upgrading and installing radars swiftly along the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) even as it is engaged in talks with India to resolve the border dispute.
India and China are engaged in an eight-month standoff at LAC in Eastern Ladakh. Both the countries are also engaged in military and diplomatic talks to resolve the border dispute.
A total of eight rounds of corps commander level have happened between the militaries of both the countries and the ninth round of talks is to be scheduled very soon to disengage troops.
Amid this, apart from aggressively developing infrastructure, China has started installing radars from Ladakh to Sikkim region.
Top sources said that at Yecheng a medium-sized building and a watch tower have come up at the facility.
The number of radars installed has also increased from three to four which include one JY-9 radar, one JY-26 radar, one HGR-105 radar and one JLC-88B radar.
At Pali and Phari Kyarang La, which is opposite Sikkim, the radar site is located two kilometers west of Kyarang La, and comprises four radars.
“Infrastructure development has been witnessed at surveillance facility at At Yamdrok Tso which is opposite Central Bhutan,” the top source said,
Around six km northeast of Tsona is the Cuona electronic warfare station. This site has three radomes, three radars and five support buildings.
Infrastructure development has been discerned at the surveillance facility located 2.6 kilometer North West of Tsona Dz Heli base.
Sources said that a radome site is located 6 kilometer south west of Kechen Tsho. It comprises radome, control building and antenna masts within a perimeter wall.
At Qomo Dz the radar site comprises one radome atop a double-storied building, one control building and one medium building, all enclosed by a perimeter wall.
“JY-24 radar is deployed at the site,” the source said.
China has also created a radar site at Linzhi and Ngiti which is opposite Arunachal Pradesh. “Linzhi/ Ngiti radar is located approximately 21 kilometres north-west of Linzhi and comprises two radomes, one radar along with a large shed building connected by a covered corridor,” the sources.
Further, China is also aggressively developing infrastructure along the Line of Control. China has developed infrastructure near Karakoram Pass and Rechin La, the disputed site at LAC.
It is also building permanent integrated habitable infrastructure terming as model villages. Such villages have been noticed across LAC.
India has been observing how China is getting aggressive on the border.
(Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in)
