By IANS,
Shillong: The paramilitary Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Sunday expressed concern over poor road connectivity along the India-China border, with several of its forward posts accessible only on foot.
“There is no road connectivity to many of our forward posts. The men have to trek to reach to these posts,” ITBP Director General Ranjit Kumar Bhatia told reporters.
The ITBP guards a vast stretch of the 1,148 km Himalayan border that India shares with China in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
Arunachal Pradesh is getting a massive central government grant to develop its road connectivity, but some of these proposed roads would not help the ITBP as they would not specifically connect its forward posts, Bhatia pointed out.
“In several areas, the men are getting provisions only through helicopters, yaks and ponies,” Bhatia added.
Ther ITBP has a yak research centre in Arunachal and utilises some 75 of these animals to carry provisions for its men in the forward posts.
Bhatia, however, refused to comment on China’s efforts to develop infrastructure, especially roads, on its side and reaching right up to the Indian forward posts.
Refusing to comment on reported Chinese intrusions into Indian territory, Bhatia said only the Indian Army would be aware of such developments.