New Delhi: In an explosive revelation, a report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on defence has stated that in case of war, the Indian Army will take “more than a day to reach” the crucial Tawang area of Arunachal Pradesh due to a “critical situation” regarding border road infrastructure, while “our neighbouring countries” (like China) can “reach the borders within two to three hours”.

China covets Arunachal Pradesh, especially the Tawang area within Arunachal and refers to the state as “south Tibet”. This is probably the first time that the vulnerability of the Indian Army —to protect Tawang in case of a war against the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) —has been accepted.

“The Committee are dismayed to note that in Tawang area, the situation is very critical as connectivity is concerned. In case of war, the Army cannot reach there in a day. This is a matter of great concern with regard to our defence preparedness,” the Parliamentary Standing Committee on defence has stated, in a report submitted to Parliament on Monday.

The revelation was made during the concluding remarks by the committee on activities of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which is now under the ministry of defence (MoD) and tasked with the construction of border roads.

In other reports submitted to Parliament, the Committee also mentioned how the slow pace of acquisitions has had an adverse impact on operational preparedness of the armed forces. In an important recommendation, the Parliamentary Committee said Capital expenditure and allocation for the armed forces should be “non-lapsable and (on) roll-on allocation (basis)” for the armed forces between financial years so that crucial acquisition of weapons and equipment is not delayed.