The Army has initiated a major drive for the development of capabilities and infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh, after remarkably upgrading the infrastructure and firepower of LAC in the region of Tawang of Arunachal Pradesh. The upgradation includes tunnels, habitats, bridges, aviation facilities, and other storage facilities and the enhancement of surveillance and communications, especially in the upper region of Dibang valley, as noted by the Army officials.
Major General M.S. Bains, General Officer Commanding of the Army’s 2 Mountain Division, based in Dinjan, informed a group of media that a capability development matrix was being used and that work on roads, habitat construction, and aviation facilities was underway. He explained that we are currently connecting several valleys. According to a very defined future perspective plan, the officials have opted for explicit timetables for capability growth. Maj. Gen. Bains continued, that the total combat readiness in the region is of a very high order.
The districts of upper Dibang, lower Dibang, and some others in Arunachal Pradesh are included in the 2 Division’s areas of Responsibility.
The capabilities and infrastructure development in the region are being carried out under five verticals: habitat, aviation, road infrastructure, operational logistics, and security infrastructure, according to another source who wished to remain anonymous.
The Army was creating the final mile of tracks to connect these roads to the advanced positions on the Line of Actual Control, while central government agencies and the Border Roads Organization were developing the strategic roads and border roads.
A third official pointed out that in addition to building roads, aviation facilities were also being built along them, which benefited the general public. In the forested region of Lohit and Siang, India, there are two road axes; now, efforts are being made to upgrade infrastructure all around. The second officer referenced above stated that the primary working season was limited to six months and that Engineering Task Forces of various Army formations were being used to speed up work.
The districts of upper Dibang, lower Dibang, Namsai, Lohit, and Anjaw in Arunachal Pradesh are included in the 2 Division’s areas of Responsibility. The 3 Corps is based in Dimapur, whereas the 4 Corps, which has its headquarters in Tezpur, is responsible for Tawang and the Kameng region.
The upgradation includes tunnels, habitats, bridges, aviation facilities, and other storage facilities and the enhancement of surveillance and communications.
The Army has carried out a massive reorientation towards the LAC since the ongoing May 2020 standoff with China in Eastern Ladakh, during which various units facing the Western front were reassigned to the LAC against the backdrop of increased Chinese activities throughout the LAC. 1,346 kilometers of the 3,488-mile LAC are in the eastern sector.
In addition, a number of Army units that had previously been tasked with CI responsibilities have been reassigned to the LAC, while the Assam Rifles, a paramilitary organization that functions administratively under the Home Ministry, has been charged with quelling the insurgency. Approximately two divisions’ worth of soldiers has been transferred from CI tasks to border protection responsibilities. The only unit still operating under a CI mandate in the Eastern region is the Army’s 73 Brigade, which is based in Laipuli, close to the Assamese town of Dibrugarh. In addition to the traditional job, it has a CI mandate that spans four Assam districts.
One of the authorities above mentioned that it was a difficult effort to conduct patrols due to the terrain of RALP. One or two long-range patrols per month, lasting anything from 14 days to a month, are conducted.
