Doklam, Oct 6: More than a month after the Chinese and Indian armies stepped back from a standoff at Doklam, China is back to expanding the motorable road on the Doklam Plateau with nearly 500 soldiers on guard. China has nearly 1,000 Chinese troops stationed just 10 kilometres from the faceoff site. However, India says that it doesn’t expect a “flashpoint” at the same site between the two countries. Also Read - Brucellosis Outbreak in China Affects Over 3000 People: Know All About This Highly Contagious Disease

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been using the construction material and bulldozers to expand and improve the road which it built some years ago. The material and bulldozers were brought during the standoff at Doklam, a source told TOI. He added that by expanding the road construction, China is reinforcing its claim on the Doklam. (Also Read: Indian Air Force Chief BS Dhanoa Says Force Capable of Carrying Out Strike Across Border) Also Read - Amid Border Tensions, Chinese Vessels Spotted in Indian Waters Last Month; Indian Navy on Constant Watch

The Chinese shifted the unused road construction material North and East of the site of the previous conflict, a media report said. The report also says that the activity began shortly after India and China announced de-escalation of tensions on August 28. “But one PLA battalion remains on the plateau,” said sources, speaking with Indian Express. It has also been reported that a few bunkers have reportedly been detected in the locality. Also Read - 'Don't Like it,' Says Trump on TikTok Announcing US Deal With Oracle to Quash Security Fears

“It is not status quo ante. Ideally, they should withdraw the troops and equipment,” an official was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

Defence Ministry officials, on the other hand, have claimed that only 300 soldiers are present in the area. A senior Army officer said that there has been “no change in the levels of deployment since the end of the standoff”. He also claimed that since the end of Doklam standoff, the Chinese troops have pulled back only 300-400 metres. (Also Read: China Opens Highway to Nepal Through Tibet, Move Likely to Rile India)

Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa too acknowledged and indicated the presence of Chinese soldiers in the Chumbi Valley during his Thursday annual press conference. “The two sides are not in a physical face-off as we speak. However, their forces in Chumbi Valley are still deployed and I expect them to withdraw as their exercise in the area gets over”, Dhanoa said.

The Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a 73-day-long standoff in Doklam soon after India stopped the construction of the roads in Doklam, disputed between Beijing and Thimphu, by the Chinese Army.

A biannual Army Commanders conference is scheduled to be held from October 9 to 14 which, according to the reports, would be discussing the preparedness of the military along the border.