China has been building military infrastructure along Indo-China border over the last decade and currently it is far ahead of India. Now, there is a belated realisation in India that infrastructure built during peace time over months, years or even decades and not those built during conflict in haste will stand the country in good stead. As part of that policy framework, Indian Air Force planned construction of five Advanced Landing Ground (ALG). Earlier, two ALGs were activated in Ladakh at Daulat Beg Oldi and Nyoma, and two more outside Ladakh at Zero and Walong. One at Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh is the fifth ALG to be made operational on 19th August. Tuting ALG is expected to be ready by 31st December while Tawang will be operational by 30th April, next year. These will raise the numbers of ALGs to seven which will somewhat reduce India’s stark military asymmetry with China. ALGs are ‘strategic assets’ capable of operating aircraft and helicopters that will improve response time to different operational contingencies as well as efficacy of overall operations. Having ALGs to land military equipments by air may not be sufficient to mobilise resources during war times, hence the need for strengthening the reach through rail and road connectivity. China has strategized to keep the 4057 km long border issue unresolved preferring to engage India at a later stage to secure a better deal. Long back India planned to construct 14 strategic rail lines.

The progress so far has been minimal as the government has just accorded ‘in principle’approval for the construction. Out of ‘planned fourteen’, a ‘final location survey’ could be undertaken in case of four lines only. The progress of road construction has also not fared any better. India identified 73 ‘strategic roads’ for construction along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to stop regular incursions and transgressions of Chinese troops into Indian territories. All of those roads were to be completed by 2012 but only 23 out of 73 has been completed which is just 31 per cent, that also four years beyond the dead line. China has enhanced its presence in Indian Ocean over the last decade. Even it asked India not to regard Indian Ocean as its backyard whereas it claims sovereignty over almost the whole of South China Sea. It has hemmed Indian Ocean with strategic ports at ocean seam countries in Africa and Asia including India’s neighbours namely Srilanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan. That has forced India to spruce up its military infrastructure in the oceanic region.

The Andaman Nicobar Command (ANC) was set up in 2001 as India’s first theatre command but its growth has been stunted due to political and bureaucratic apathy. Moreover, dispute over which unit of the military will have the operational control has been a further bottleneck. Modi government has now approved several infrastructure development projects in ANC. Regular deployment of Sukhoi-30 MKI fighters and C-130J Super Hercules aircraft and long range patrol and anti-submarine warfare Poseidon- 81 aircraft at ANC is helping to integrate the far off island to the mainland defence. All these will certainly act as a pivot to counter China’s aforementioned strategic moves in the Indian Ocean region. Pakistan does not allow India to breathe easily on Kashmir. As a retaliatory step India has rightly raised Baluchistan issue with Pakistan. As CPEC has rendered Balochistan issue a sensitive one for China, India-China border may get more restive in days to come. India must expedite the construction on an urgent basis for early and timely completion of the infrastructure projects of strategic, military and defence import.

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