Increase in Chinese troops, infrastructure in Arunachal’s contentious Asaphila sector

There has been an increase in the number of troops as well as infrastructure development on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) across the contentious Asaphila sector in Arunachal Pradesh but only a marginal increase in PLA patrolling along the border, the Eastern Army Commander has said.

Speaking on areas of contention with China in the North East, the top officer said that there has been a slight increase in faceoffs and confrontations but these have been resolved at the local level, including at the controversial Naku La area of North Sikkim.

The thickly forested Asaphila sector which has been flagged off as an area of concerns by central agencies as well, has been seeing increased activity. “We have observed some infrastructure development on the Chinese side close to the LAC (at Asaphila) in terms of habitat and that has led to corresponding increase in troops that are now located there,” Lt Gen Manoj Pande said, responding to a question by ET.


The top officer added however that “in terms of the number of patrols coming close to the LAC from the other side there has only been a marginal increase in activity in the last couple of years”. The Indian side has also stepped up surveillance activities on the border and no major incident has been reported, he said.

“We have strengthened our deployment but largely there has been no major increase in the number of forces we have on the LAC. We are looking at incorporating technology to the maximum extent possible,” he said.

On Naku La area of Northern Sikkim where several faceoffs have been reported in the past month, the senior officer said that differing perception of the border remain but issues have been resolved at the local level.

“These are the areas where patrols do come face to face and there are standard standing operating procedures to resolve the issues. Sometimes these faceoffs last a little longer but all of them are able to be resolved at the tactical level or the level of local commanders,” he said.

On Doklam plateau, which was the location of a major confrontation in 2017, the Eastern Army Commander said that both sides remain fully aware of each other’s sensitivities. “In term of increase in troop levels, there hasn’t been any major increase. The infrastructure also has remained what it was earlier,” he said.