India close to completing road on Chinese border

The road being built on the Chinese border which is being built by India to provide an alternative link to its northernmost military base is nearing completion.

The construction of the road signifies an extensive push by India to fortify its settlements near the border with its neighbour, with whom it has an ongoing border dispute.

According to the reports, more than 2,000 people are working on the project, providing a new transport connection to the Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) base, which lies to the west of the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Karakoram Range in northern Ladakh.

The new road cannot be sighted from across the border and lies further away from the LAC than the existing Darbuk–Shyok–DBO road, making it less vulnerable to attacks, an official told the outlet. The route is likely to be ready to support “critical military movement” by the end of November.

While the existing 255 km road connects the DBO base to Leh city, the new 130 km artery will link Sasoma, a much smaller settlement, to the military base. Construction has reached its most challenging phase, as it requires India to finish a stretch in steep glaciated terrain and build a bridge on the Shyok River.

“Latest technologies are being employed to clear construction hurdles in the final lap,” the official told the newspaper. The report also said that several key sections of the Sasoma-Saser La-Saser Brangsa-Gapshan-DBO have already been completed.

Depsang was a flashpoint in the India-China border row in 2013. On April 15 that year India reported an “incursion” by a large contingent of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the dry riverbed of Raki Nala in the Depsang Bulge.

Indian troops responded to the Chinese presence by establishing a camp 300 meters away. Negotiations between China and India lasted nearly three weeks, and the dispute was resolved the following month. India alleged that Chinese troops had strayed 10 km into Indian territoryCh.