The Himalayan nations hold immense geo-political and strategic significance for India. As the world’s highest mountain range, the Himalayas act as a natural barrier between India and its northern neighbours ~ China, Nepal, Bhutan, and Pakistan. All these nations share history, culture, and economic ties with India, making the entire region one of the utmost importance for India’s foreign policy,and security considerations. India has a 15,106-km long International Border with these neighbours including Bangladesh. This includes the Line of Control on the Pakistan border and the Line of Actual Control on the China border.
Despite various commonalities in the border regions between India and Pakistan, and India and China, there are typical challenges from the strategic and security angle in different segments of the Indo-Pak and IndoChina borders. One of the major geo-political concerns for India is China’s growing footprint in the Himalayan region. China’s claim over the Indian territory of Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls South Tibet, and Ladakh has been a long-standing issue between the two countries. China’s aggressive infrastructure developments near the Indian border and its strategic road and railway projects in Tibet have raised apprehensions about its intentions. This has prompted India to enhance its military capabilities and infrastructure development to secure its interests. In fact, over the last few years, especially after the new government came to power in 2014, with a repeat in 2019, not only were the old projects of construction of roads on the Indo-China border expedited, but also careful planning has been done to ensure development of Border villages on every border.
Special emphasis has been laid on the development of infrastructure in the difficult terrains in Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh, and parts of Uttarakhand bordering China. The main purpose of focussing on development of border areas is to reverse the migration of people from these difficult areas to comparatively better liveable areas. Thinning of the population in border areas on account of fewer opportunities for the local populace, lack of basic infrastructure facilities, and tough living conditions,especially during winters, provides an opportunity to the Chinese army to occupy uninhabited areas. In the recent past, there have been several instances of transgressions and stand-offs resulting in border tensions and diplomatic crises. ICBR 1(Indo China Border Roads),which was initiated in 2006, has so far seen the completion of roads up to 804 kms. Some projects undertaken in this phase are still in progress. In 2018, ICBR 2 came into being with a proposal of 48 roads of 1080 Kms.
The government is very keen on the comprehensive infrastructural development of border areas on the Indo China border at a fast pace. Special focus is on dual-purpose infrastructure viz., landing and take-off facilities on the roads itself, helipads on road stretches, shelters, simultaneous OFC laying etc. Apart from infrastructural developments in Ladakh, other industrial and economic activities in the region will help in stopping migration of local population from the hard areas of Ladakh.
A peep into the socio economic potential of Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh is necessary to understand their geo political and strategic importance and steps taken by the Government of India for development. Ladakh, located in the northernmost part of India, is the largest and second least populous union territory. It was part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, but on 31 October 2019, it was made a separate Union Territory. Ladakh is also known as “the Land of Passes” (La-passes, dakh-land) and with an area of 95,876 square kms, it enjoys the significance of being located on the ancient Silk Route which passes through these regions and played a very vital role in the development of culture, religion, philosophy, trade and commerce in the past. The presence of resources is what makes China and Pakistan struggle with India over Ladakh, in order to gain control over this region. Pakistan and China are in conflict with India over Siachen and Aksai Chin respectively.
Ladakh’s geostrategic significance has increased in the backdrop of these conflicts. The passes of the Ladakh region connect some of the politically and economically significant zones of the world, like Central Asia, South Asia, China and the Middle East. South Asian countries can reach Central Asian markets through this region. Countries like Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan are rich in uranium, cotton, oil and gas resources.
In future, the oil and gas pipeline from Iran to China can pass through this mountainous corridor. India’s energy needs can also be met by constructing a pipeline from Central Asia via this region. Ladakh became a contested territory between the newly independent nations of India and Pakistan. Due to increasing tensions between India and Pakistan, the Chinese invasion of Tibet in the 1950s, and their occupation of the Aksai Chin region in 1962, Ladakh has become one of India’s most important strategic zones. Strategic location and border disputes with Pakistan and China have resulted in a firm foothold for army presence over the past 50 years.
The origin of disputes with China dates back to the British Raj, which failed to demarcate the border between its colony and China definitively. The two countries share a 3,800 kilometre long border of which a large part remains disputed. Recently, Indian and Chinese armies were engaged in standoffs in Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley, Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldie in eastern Ladakh. The Galwan Valley is east of the Siachen glacier, and is the only point that provides direct access to Aksai Chin from India.By and large, today’s border issue revolves around two main boundary designs that had been put forward by the British.
India continues to maintain the McMahon Line as the legal border, while China has never accepted this, stating that Tibet was never independent. None of these boundaries had ever been anchored in a binding bilateral treaty. And so, the status of the Indo-Chinese border in the western section at the time of Indian independence remained unsolved. The diverse topology, with high-altitude cold deserts located in the Great Himalayas, and picturesque locations, make Ladakh a favoured destination for domestic and foreign tourists. The Pangong Tso Lake and the world’s highest motorable road, Khardongla (18,350 feet), are the key attractions for tourists. Ladakh has 320 clear sunny days, and receives an average daily global solar radiation of 2022 kWh/m2/annum. These factors have made Ladakh a favourable spot for solar power generation in India. Also, abundance of wind resource due to a valley terrain landform creates a potential for harnessing wind energy in Ladakh. In view of this, it is absolutely essential to develop the infrastructure in the region for its development, and as such, the government has started spending substantially. A strategic road along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh is being built from Chushul south of Pangong Tso, and Demchok in eastern Ladakh.
The Union Cabinet in February 2023 approved the construction of the 4.1-km Shinkun La tunnel on the NimuPadam-Darcha road link to provide all-weather connectivity to the border areas of Ladakh. The tunnel will be completed by December 2025 at a cost of Rs. 1,681 crore (US$ 205.1 million). In May 2023, the Union government gave its approval for the implementation of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) in the Union Territory of Ladakh with a sanctioned cost of Rs 687.05 crore (US$ 83.8 million).
The scheme includes the grid connectivity of the Changthang region, downline infrastructure in the Zanskar region along with other loss reduction works in the Leh and Kargil districts of Ladakh.The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in July 2022 informed the Lok Sabha that one medical college has been approved for Leh at a cost of Rs 325 crore (US$ 39.7 million). In a significant development, the Government of India is considering a major industrial development scheme, with a proposed financial outlay of Rs 3,500 crore (US$ 427 million), for generating large-scale job opportunities in the private sector in the Union Territory of Ladakh. In November 2021, the Minister of Power, New and Renewable energy stated that Ladakh would provide additional 20,000 acres of land to set up a new 10 gigawatt (GW) energy park. In February 2021, an MoU was signed between Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and the UT administration of Ladakh to develop a geothermal field development project with a power potential of 200 MW.
In January 2021, the central government and the Central Water Commission (CWC) sanctioned eight hydropower projects of 144 MW on the Indus river and its tributaries in Ladakh. These projects will be developed in the districts of Leh and Kargil in compliance with the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. In June 2020, the government announced its plan to achieve 100 per cent telecom connectivity in all parts of Ladakh. The project will be executed by the state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), using the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF). Also, in February 2020, Bharti Airtel rolled out its 4G and 2G networks in 26 villages and became the first operator to bring mobile broadband connectivity to these villages in the high terrain region. In January 2020, an MoU was signed between NITI Aayog and UT administration of Ladakh to develop a strategic plan and provide support to specific projects, especially tourism, solar energy and others, which will be under the public-private partnership mode.
Under this MoU, NITI Aayog will be supporting the UT’s administration through its key initiative ‘Development Support Services to States for Infrastructure Projects (D3S-i)’. To provide grid connectivity to the far-flung villages of Ladakh, the Union government approved intra-state transmission project at a revised estimated cost of Rs 1,309.71 crore (US$ 179.51 million) in May 2021.
In October 2021, BRO announced five major road infrastructure projects to boost connectivity in a Ladakh. In August 2021, BRO constructed the highest motorable road in Eastern Ladakh at 19,300 ft. to boost socio-economic conditions and promote tourism in the union territory
(The writer, a retired IPS officer, has served in various capacities including as Commissioner of Delhi Police, DG-BSF, DG-NCB, DG-BCAS and Special Director, CBI. He can be reached at asthaanarakesh@gmail.com)