The Indian subcontinent, these days, is fraught with several problems originating from the neighbor global states. While Pakistan has always been a peevish menace, the advent of the People’s Republic of China, the ginormous influx of people from Bangladesh and soaring bellicose presence of PRC in the Indian Ocean are becoming major causes of vexation. In such grave times, when the nation must be scrupulous in substantiating its strategically empowered presence on the border, a dismaying report came yesterday which must raise angst in every Indian’s heart.
The report published by the Indian Express hints at the dilatory attitude of various authorities regarding their duty of accommodating Indian army with good infrastructure support at the border. In the last 12 years, our nation could manage to make only 21 out of the planned 73 roads under the strategically pivotal project of ICBR (India-China Border Roads). The ICBR project was commenced in 2005 during the reign of UPA government and under the aegis of the project, 73 roads were to be made till 2012 so as to provide a strategic upper edge to the Indian army officials, but unfortunately we have done anything on our part but decrying the Beijing government over its extensive infrastructure development in the border’s vicinity.
For years, scores of reports have talked about the ambitious program of the Chinese government to provide their armies with the latest technology and infrastructure in the border areas. Contrary to that, the flippant attitude on our part clearly expounds how much prepared we are. Though both the nations have experienced no significant breaching of cease-fire agreements, but still we can’t dare to delay the strengthening process of our army in such sensitive areas.
The Indian Express report states that the ICBR roads are being constructed by three authorities — 33 by Defence Ministry as General Staff roads, out of these only nine have been completed; Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is responsible for 27 roads, but only 5 have been completed; 13 roads are being built under the China Study Group headed by Foreign Secretary but only seven have been completed.
The plight of our border areas came to the limelight a few days after, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Bhupen-Hazarika Bridge on Lohit River in Assam. The bridge is meant to inflict a reduction in the congestion at the Siliguri Corridor and to ameliorate the connectivity of the seven sister states with the rest of India. Ironically, this project was also a delayed one and had to suffer various red tapes and policy paralysis to become extant.
Following the focus on the bridge, top level meetings took place to address the issue of border infrastructure, and now the deadline has been shifted to 2020 to complete the whole ICBR project. De facto, no deadline can ever gauge the gravity of the situation.
Reprimanding the Mandarin government sans taking any constructive measure on our part, is totally futile and jejune and it’s about time that we focused on our blemishes and try to rectify them as soon as possible.
JAI HIND, JAI BHARAT
JAI MA BHARTI
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