Parliamentary panel to review border road construction after Chinese pullback along LAC

Amid border tensions between India and China, the parliament's Public Accounts Committee on Friday decided to review the construction of border roads at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). News agency PTI said that the parliamentary panel may call the Defence Secretary and other top officials to be brief on the same. On Friday, 22-member Public Accounts Committee (PAC) held a meeting chaired by the leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was attended by 17 out of the total 20 members. Reportedly, the panel will also review the procurement of high-altitude clothing for the armed forces.

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The PAC has decided to examine various subjects with special focus being given to the CAG report number 5 of 2017, a performance audit of the Sino-India Border Roads. As per the papers circulated among the members of the committee on Friday, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on border roads is the topmost subject for examination by the committee during the year. CAG's Report 5 of 2017, which in the wake of the recent face-off on LAC between the soldiers of Indian and China, "talks about the highly important issue of construction of Indo-China border roads by Border Roads Organisation seems to be reviewed and further improved upon," as per the agenda papers of the meeting.

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The PAC meeting on Friday was the first meeting of the panel in the current calendar year. It assumes significance as it was the second meeting of the Lok Sabha's standing committee after parliament was adjourned prematurely on March 23 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 15, Indian and Chinese soldiers clashed along the LAC in the Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh in which 20 Indian Army personnel were martyred.

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Disengagement statement by India-China

After completion of the diplomatic talks between India and China, the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday, issued a statement reaffirming both countries' agreement to 'ensure complete disengagement of the troops along the LAC. The two countries held the 16th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) on Friday. Moreover, the progress of the ongoing disengagement process along the LAC in the Western Sector was reviewed.

Similarly, China issued a statement on Friday, sharing positive progress made in easing the situation on the ground at the 16th WMCC meeting. The statement added that both sides have agreed to promptly and properly handle border issues to avoid rise of differences into disputes. This conciliatory tone is a major contrast to the accusatory stance taken by China previously, alleging India of intruding across the LAC.

(with inputs from PTI)

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