Guwahati: Eastern Army Commander Lieutenant General Rana Pratap Kalita has said the overall situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in the eastern theatre is “reasonably calm” and “firmly under control”.
Lt Gen Kalita said the Indian Army is fully prepared to deal with any eventuality.
He said the Indian Army’s focus has been on boosting its military capability and enhancing the surveillance of activities by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) along the LAC.
The commander said the region has been stable and no major “changes or palpable shift of stance has been noted”, in comments that came amid a continuing face-off between Indian and Chinese troops at the friction points of Demchok and Depsang in eastern Ladakh.
He said the Army is in a better position now to monitor the area of its interest in the eastern theatre with the enhancement of infrastructure close to the LAC and induction of various platforms such as drones, helicopters and electronic surveillance equipment.
The eastern theatre largely comprises the border areas along the LAC in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh and the frontier areas have a number of sensitive forward locations, including in the Tawang and North Sikkim sectors.
“Let me assure you that the Indian Army is fully prepared to deal with any eventuality in the eastern theatre. The border issue with China is being dealt with at all levels to ensure that there is no friction,” Lt Gen. Kalita said.
He made the comments during an informal interaction with a group of visiting journalists in Kibithu on Saturday after the Army garrison in the strategic location was named after India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, who died in a helicopter crash on December 8 last year.
Lt Gen. Kalita said the Indian Army is continuously monitoring the activities of the PLA along the LAC and is well-poised to mitigate any challenge.
“We are also continuously monitoring the activities along the borders. We are vigilant and observant of each and every development along our borders,” he said.
India has been ramping up the development of infrastructure along the nearly-3,500-km LAC following the eastern Ladakh standoff that began on May 5, 2020.
“We have thoroughly prepared ourselves over the period of time and are well poised to mitigate any challenges and eventualities in the eastern theatre,” Lt Gen. Kalita said.
The Eastern Army commander was in Kibithu to attend a ceremony where the military station was named after Gen. Rawat.
People familiar with the development said the two sides disengaged in accordance with the plan, which also entailed a joint verification of the entire process.
On September 8, the two sides announced that they have begun to disengage from Patrolling Point 15 that marked a significant forward movement in the stalled process to pull out troops from the remaining friction points in the region.
There has been no progress yet to resolve the standoff in the Demchok and Depsang regions.
On the counter-insurgency operations being carried out by the Army in the northeastern region, Lt Gen. Kalita said the deployment is dictated by the security situation and the violence parameters.
“The deployment of Army for counter-insurgency duties is dictated by the security situation and the violence parameters. As the situation improves, the Army is de-inducted and the Central Armed Police Forces or police take on the responsibility of ensuring peace and stability,” he said.
“In the Northeast, with an improvement in the situation, the Army has got de-inducted and is geared for its primary role,” he added.