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News On Ladakh
After 43 yrs, IAF plans to reactivate Ladakh airstrip
Times of India
New Delhi: Forty-three years after the last aircraft landed there, India plans to reactivate the famous Daulat Beg Oldi
(DBO) airstrip in northern Ladakh, which overlooks the strategic Karakoram Pass and is just a few km away from the China-occupied
Aksai Chin area.
"Yes, we have plans to land our AN-32 transport aircraft at DBO in the near future. It's part of the IAF effort to
improve air maintenance of the far-flung posts in the region," Western Air Command chief Air Marshal P K Barbora told
TOI .
The reactivation of the old airstrip will also send a strong message to China, whose troops regularly undertake incursions
across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) into Indian territory to flex their muscles and strengthen claims on disputed areas.
As of now, only IAF's Mi-17 and Mi-26 helicopters land at the helipad at DBO, which is at a height of around 16,800 feet,
to ferry much-needed supplies to the Indian troops deployed in the region.
By having a full-fledged airstrip at DBO, which will make it the highest airfield in the world, India will be able to
rush in troops and supplies to the region during emergencies. "The ground there has become soft...it requires compacting
and levelling for fixed-wing aircraft to land. Even the helipad may have to be moved to one side to clear the approach for
the airstrip," said Air Marshal Barbora.
It was DBO and nearby areas which bore the brunt of the Chinese attack in the western sector during the 1962 conflict.
In fact, an IAF AN-12 on a flight from Chandigarh to DBO on October 20, 1962, came under fire to signal the launch of the
Chinese aggression, with the People’s Liberation Army overrunning the Chip Chap river valley within hours.
Though the government continues to downplay the stepped up cross-border incursions by Chinese troops in recent years,
China's massive build-up of military infrastructure along the 4,057-km LAC in all the three sectors & western (Ladakh),
middle (Uttarakhand and Himachal) and eastern (Sikkim and Arunachal) & has finally jolted India out of its slumber.
India, for instance, has now launched plans for a 608-km road network project along LAC, which will have 27 road links
along J&K, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal, apart from the overall 7,603-km Special Accelerated Road Development
Programme for the entire North-East.
The construction of a road linking Leh ultimately with DBO, incidentally, is part of these plans to service far-flung
outposts manned by Army and ITBP jawans.
Apart from DBO, there are also plans to reactivate airfields at Chushul and Phukche in Ladakh, as well as develop as many
as 32 helipads in Arunachal Pradesh, with eight of them located in the Tawang tract.
Srinagar-Leh highway re-opened in record time
From ANI
Sonmarg (J-K), Apr 16: The strategic Srinagar-Leh highway in Jammu and Kashmir, which remained snow-blocked for six months,
has been re-opened. TurboTax Online Free Edition
The highway links Srinagar with the Ladakh region.
Every year, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) undertakes snow clearance operations on all border roads in the mountainous
Himalayan range to facilitate the movement of residents and military personnel to remote that have been regions cut-off due
to snow from the rest of the country.
Officials claimed that the all-important lifeline of the region was opened in record time.
"I assure that the vehicles will keep on moving. I have planned to deploy my maintenance team. They will be working
day and night to make the road surfaces smooth," said A.P Sinha, commander, BRO.
Truckers expressed happiness over the re-opening of the highway.
Farooq Ahmed, a driver, said: "When the highway opens shopkeepers also set their shops in the market. The business
is increased, so it's good for us. We remain in snow for six months and there is no work. We are happy that we get opportunity
to earn when highway opens."
The strategic Srinagar-Ladakh Highway passes through the 11,578-foot high Zojila pass which lies on the lower depression
of the Himalayan range, about 100-kilometres from Srinagar.
The pass attracts the heaviest snowfall during winter and as such it remains closed to traffic for nearly six months in
a year.
17 Tibetan exiles arrested in northern India during march to Tibet
SRINAGAR, India: Indian police arrested 17 Tibetan exiles Saturday as they attempted to march from a remote Himalayan
region in northern India into Tibet, officials said.
The group was arrested in Ladakh, an area that borders Tibet and is home to about 7,000 Tibetan exiles, said M.K. Bhandari,
a senior local official.
The group was arrested for violating a law that prohibits entry into sensitive border areas, Bhandari said.
The arrests came amid reports of ongoing unrest in China's Tibetan areas.
Police fired on hundreds of protesters in a Tibetan area of western China, killing eight people, overseas activist groups
said. State media reported one government official was seriously injured in what it called a riot.
Anti-China demonstrations broke out last month in Tibet's capital, Lhasa, and neighboring provinces in what has become
the longest and most sustained challenge to China's rule in the Himalayan region in decades.
China's subsequent crackdown has drawn international scrutiny and criticism in the run-up to the Beijing Olympic Games
in August.
In recent weeks, India, home to the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, has allowed Tibetans to protest peacefully,
but Indian authorities have said they would not tolerate actions that embarrassed China.
Last month, they arrested a group of dozens who planned to march from India to Tibet.
To Leh by road, all year round!
Kavita Suri
JAMMU, April 1: Here's some good news for all those who would love to visit Ladakh round the year. Soon Ladakh would be
connected with rest of the world through an all weather tunnel on which the work would be started shortly. Ladakh remains
closed to the outer world for more than six months by road in a year as the two roads connecting this high altitude region
to the rest of the world ~ Zojila and Rohtang in Manali ~ remains closed due to heavy snowfall.
The J&K government is actively considering a project for keeping Srinagar-Leh road open round the year. The coalition
government has already taken up the matter of constructing a tunnel near Zojila Pass.
Haji Nissar Ali, minister for sports, youth services & technical education, who met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh
and UPA chairperson Mrs. Sonia Gandhi last week and apprised them of the problems being faced by the people of the Ladakh
region, particularly in terms of connectivity, hopes that the work on the tunnel would take off in the next couple of years.
Dr Singh has assured the J&K government that the construction of Zoji La tunnel is a national priority and has been
included in the PM's Reconstruction Plan for Jammu and Kashmir.
The Ladakh region thus would be connected with the Valley which would help in boosting the tourism, education besides
better health care to the Ladakh people.
The Zoji La means mountain pass of Blizzards situated at an elevation of approximately 3,528 metres (11,575 ft), is a
highest pass between Srinagar-Leh National Highway.
Construction of 15-kilometre Zojilla tunnel on Srinagar-Leh road would be a very tough job as it experiences over 60 feet
of snow.
The southern face of the Zojila through which the road passes receives huge quantities of snow during winter, cutting
off from Ladakh from rest of the country for almost six months.
The area received once 60 feet of snow during this winter. When constructed, this all weather tunnel would end the climatic
blockade people of the region face during harsh winter months.
Meanwhile, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) would soon be opening the snow-blocked Srinagar-Leh Highway linking Ladakh
region to rest of the country.
The BRO personnel are assigned with the task of clearing the snow-bound stretch across Zojila along the 434-kms-long Srinagar-Kargil-Leh
Highway.
Indian peaks lure foreign climbers
Germans top list of foreign expeditions; Stok Kangri in Ladakh most sought after peak
Vibha Sharma
New Delhi, March 30
According to an analysis done by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, a national-level organisation regulated to mountaineering
and adventure sports activities in Indian mountains, Indian peaks attracted as many as 52 foreign expeditions during 2007.
The analysis reveals that climbers from Europe, especially from Germany, Britain, France and Spain, have particularly
liked scaling Indian peaks.
While the Germans undertakook 12 expeditions in 2006 and 2007, British and French mountaineers have eight expeditions
to their credit. Japan and Korea are not far behind, with four and three expeditions in 2006 and 2007, respectively.
The love for mountains, especially the Himalayas, brings thousands of climbers into the country and the number of expeditions
has been rising every year. In the Himalayas, the climbing season starts in early May and closes by October. August is the
most popular "climbing month", followed by September and July.
Stok Kangri (6153 m) in Ladakh attracted as many as 26 foreign expeditions in 2006 and 2007. In addition, 95 individuals
have been granted permission in 2007 through the IMF Seasonal Office in Leh. This is much higher than the second and third
most sought after peaks - Kun East (7077 m) in J&K & Kedardome (6830 m) in Garhwal - which attracted six and five
foreign expeditions each in the same period. Stok Kangri was popular among Indian climbers as well, with as many four Indian
expeditions to this peak in 2007.
Experts say that Stok Kangri is the perfect objective for fit trekkers without climbing experience that want to summit
on their first Himalayan Peak. It is one of the main peaks of the Zansker range, situated in the fascinating region of Ladakh.
This high and arid landscape has captured the imagination of travellers since it first opened to visitors in 1974. Although
straightforward, the route is challenging and interesting, providing stunning views of the Karakoram Range.
The number of Indian expeditions increased to more than 60 in each year during the past five years that were partially
funded by the IMF. Besides mountaineering, IMF is promoting trekking amongst the youth of the country and has granted approval
to more than 600 trekking groups during the last five years.
"In its endeavour to encourage and induct the youth with disabilities into mountaineering and related adventure activities,
since last year, adventure camps have also been organised for the disabled youth, who are generally neglected by the society
for such activities" says Col H.S. Chauhan, secretary, IMF.
Since January, 12 intrusions by China
NEW DELHI, 31 Mar 2008: Since January, Chinese troops have intruded a dozen times into Indian territory in the strategic
Pangong Tso lake area in eastern Ladakh as part of Beijing's continuing aggressive posture all along the Line of Actual Control
(LAC).
Pangong Tso (Tso means lake in Ladakhi), two-thirds of which is controlled by China as it extends from India to Tibet,
and other parts of Ladakh like Demchok and Trig Heights, in fact, are witnessing "an enhanced level of activity"
by People's Liberation Army, sources said.
"The sector is witnessing aggressive Chinese foot, motorised and boat patrols. On March 23, for instance, Chinese
troops in a vehicle-mounted patrol crossed over into our territory on Pangong Tso's southern bank and stayed there for some
time with impunity before going back," said a source.
Pangong Tso, at an altitude of 4,218-metres, has become a "hot" area ever since the 1999 Kargil conflict with
Pakistan, with China even constructing a "track" right up to the lake's southern bank during that time.
Ladakh, of course, is just one part of the story. China may be enmeshed in the Tibetan turmoil at the moment but there
has been simply no let up in its "aggressive patrolling" in all the three sectors — western (Ladakh),
middle (Uttarakhand, Himachal) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal).
India, in fact, recorded well over 140 intrusions by Chinese troops across the 4,057-km LAC in 2007 alone. This even included
transgressions into Sikkim in August-September, even though China had earlier accepted the state to be a part of India.
Coupled with this is the stunning build-up of military infrastructure by China all along the LAC, especially in the Tibet
Autonomous Region, which makes it possible for it to amass large number of troops at the border in double-quick time.
Observers say the objective is to ramp up pressure on India to stick to its line on "Tibet being an integral part
of China" as well as to strengthen Chinese claims on disputed areas along the LAC.
The government, however, continues to downplay Chinese intrusions in public, holding there is no need to "press the
panic button" since "peace and tranquillity" prevails on the LAC.
Both external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee and defence minister A K Antony have held that the "incidents"
take place due to "differing perceptions" of the LAC.
"Whenever there is any issue (intrusion), it is always taken up through the appropriate channels and that system
is continuing," said Antony, who is now set to visit Tawang in early-April.
Incidentally, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Arunachal Pradesh earlier this year had led to a diplomatic row
between the two countries, with China claiming the entire state as its own territory.
Apart from all this, the rapid modernization of the 2.5 million People's Liberation Army, with advanced trans-border military
capabilities and a huge arsenal of long-range nuclear-tipped missiles, is making Indian defence planners wonder about the
long-term intentions of China.
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