Upping The Ante, China Begins Constructing Bridge Near Disputed Boundary With India In Ladakh

While India and China continue to reinforce their positions in Doklam militarily, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has started constructing a bridge in ‘No Man's Land’, near the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, India Today has reported.

Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council chief executive councillor Dr Sonal Dawa Lopo has said that the local authorities will raise the issue with the government. The Centre should object to the construction of the bridge, he said.

Government sources, however, denied these reports, Business Standard has reported. "The report that China is building a bridge in Ladakh is wrong," a government source was quoted by the daily as saying.

This development, if true, shouldn't come as a surprise because various experts have suggested that the military balance in the Sikkin sector, which rests in India’s favour, could force the PLA to be more aggressive in other parts of the disputed boundary.

In the Sikkim sector, the Indian Army has advanced its schedule for 33 Corps’ Operational Alert, a two-week event in which all Army units move to familiarise themselves with their likely area of operation. Villagers in Nathang area have confirmed witnessing heavy troop movement in the area of late.