The construction of a 38-kilometre-long road between Spangmik and Kasket on the south bank of the Pangong Lake is nearing completion, public broadcaster Prasar Bharti reported on Sunday (7 November).

"28.10 km length out of targeted 38.80 km of Spangmik to Kasket road along the beautiful Pangong has been completed," it said.

The road is being built under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, and Rs 11.40 crore has been spent on the project so far.

Apart from easing the movement of troops along the south bank of Pangong Lake, the road will make the area more attractive for tourists. It will improve connectivity to popular tourists spots like Man and Merak and enable growth in the local economy — a goal that the government is pursuing to stem the outmigration of locals from border areas.

In August this year, the Administration of Ladakh removed the Inner Line Permit requirement for Indian citizens to visit the protected areas in the Union Territory. The move, experts say, has made access easier for domestic tourists to areas close to the LAC.

The development comes almost a year after Indian and Chinese troops disengaged on the north bank of the Pangong Lake, where they had been locked in a tense military standoff since May 2020.

The standoff was sparked by China's occupation of territory between Finger 4 and Finger 8 on the north bank, an area that was patrolled by both sides. By deploying forces on Finger 4, China had effectively denied India access to the area. While India claims that the LAC lies near Finger 8, China claims it passes through Finger 2. India controls the area west of Finger 4, and China has a base east of Finger 8.

Indian and Chines soldiers were also face-to-face on the peaks of the Kailash range, located opposite Chushul, not far from the southern bank of Pangong Tso. At the peak of the crisis on the Kailash Range, Indian and Chinese tanks were only a few hundred metres apart.