STORY Highlights
- China is setting up ‘special’ villages near Arunachal Pradesh on LAC.
- The people who are being given places in these villages of China are probably ex-servicemen.
- The houses there can be used for civilians as well as for defense related activities.
There is news that China has started occupying the villages situated in the areas adjacent to the border of Arunachal Pradesh. Arrangements are being made to settle some special people there. It is not clear whether those people are civilians or part of the military. It is believed that China is trying to stake its claim on the LAC area with this step. This is a matter of concern for the Indian Army.
Also Read- Line of Actual Control or McMahon Line; Explained
Amrita Nayak Dutta associated with The Indian Express has prepared a report on the matter. Officials familiar with the matter have said that in the last few months, China has started occupying some villages along the LAC across Lohit Valley and Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh.
According to the report, China has been building 628 such villages on India’s border with Tibet area including Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh for the last five years.
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It is believed that the people being given places in these villages are probably ex-servicemen. The houses there can be used for defense as well as for civilians. Till some time, the two-storey buildings built in the villages were vacant but now Chinese citizens have started living there. It is not clear whether he is a citizen or not.
Sources have revealed that China is building infrastructure on LAC. An official said that apart from Tawang, other areas like Siang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh have also seen rapid development of Chinese infrastructure. There are also reports of sugar manufacturing in the villages bordering Bhutanese territory.
Also Read- China built Village Along LAC after overrunning an Assam Rifles post in 1959- Sources
In the last three-four years, India has also intensified work on its infrastructure on its borders. Connectivity is being improved and alternative routes are being created for LAC.
Under the Vibrant Villages programmes, India plans to develop 663 border villages into modern villages with all amenities in the first phase. In this, at least 17 villages bordering China in Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh have been selected as pilot projects under the program.
