Himachal Governor asks Centre to step up vigil at its China borders; writes to Rajnath

Himachal Pradesh Governor Bandaru Dattatraya on Monday wrote to Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to step up vigil in Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti as both districts share a border with China. He has asked to strengthen the deployment of Army in the mentioned areas and demanded improvement of modes of communication and roads in remote border areas. The Governor also suggested to Rajnath Singh to construct an airstrip urgently in Spiti. 

'We need to be suitably prepared'

“Adequate arrangements may be made to tackle drones from China side. There is also an urgent need of an airstrip in Spiti for a prompt deployment of forces in border areas when the need arises. This airstrip can act as an advanced landing ground,” he stated. "The state shares more than 260 km boundary with Tibet and China and therefore, we need to be suitably prepared for any eventuality," he said.

The Governor said that Himachal police has visited villages in border areas and interacted with the residents. "The central intelligence agencies, the Indian Army and ITBP need to make similar efforts to instil a sense of security and confidence among the people," he suggested.

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Meanwhile, the third round of Corps Commander-level talks between India and China to discuss and diffuse the tension over the ongoing dispute along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh is scheduled to be held on Tuesday at 10:30 am in Chushul, Leh, sources informed on Monday.

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"Third round of Corps Commander-level talks scheduled tomorrow at 10:30 am in Chushul in Ladakh," a source told ANI. The first two rounds had taken place in Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAC. In the second round of Corps Commander-level talks held on June 22, both sides reached a mutual consensus to disengage in the Eastern Ladakh sector, army sources said.

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India-China tensions

Slamming China's incursion into Indian territory at the LAC, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had asserted that the Chinese side took pre-meditated and planned action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties which reflected its intent to 'change facts' on the ground in violation of the previous agreements reached during his telephonic conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

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(With agency inputs)