thestringshredder
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As three flag meetings failed to end the border deadlock with China and diplomatic efforts made little headway, army chief General Bikram Singh briefed the cabinet committee on security on the situation, bringing military options on the table.
The government is sure that the Chinese are prepared for a long haul, and there is a growing feeling in the army that action at the tactical level can be exercised to deal with what has been described as a 'localised' problem.
One of the measures that was discussed is cutting the supply route of the Chinese troops at the face-off site around 30km south east of Daulat Beg Oldi. The area forms part of Burste bulge which comprises Depsang plains.
But the option will be difficult to execute because of extremely inhospitable high-altitude terrain leading up to the Karakoram Pass. Sources said the nearest Chinese Border Management regiment supporting the tented post with around 40 troops in Raki Nala is at Chip Chap, around 25km north of face-off site.
The access to Chip Chap Valley from the Indian side is difficult and only small patrols can be launched along with the tracks. The response would be difficult but not impossible, sources said.
The other options being weighed included increasing the troop presence in the region to send out a strong signal and launch aggressive patrols at multiple locations along Line of Actual Control (LAC). An operation at the tactical level is also being supported by the veterans.
Lt-Gen (retd) Shankar Prasad told Mail Today that the government should trust the Generals and the army to resolve the situation at the tactical level.
"Time has come to respond. We cannot be humiliated all the time. We should be prepared for a strategic response. The government should trust its generals and the army and allow it to display its professional competence. The Generals of today are not like the Generals of 1962. The government should give them the chance to respond," he said.
The government has not ruled out escalation if the military option is exercised. Apart from giving response at the tactical level, the army is also pressing for better border management by implementing one border, one force policy.
The LAC is manned jointly by ITBP and the army and there was a lack of coordination between the two forces. The army has been seeking operational control of ITBP for several years now but the home ministry has blocked the move.
Despite the ongoing border stand-off, an eight-member Indian delegation led by a brigadier crossed over to the Chinese side in Chushul in eastern Ladakh to take part in the annual May Day function.
The border personnel meeting on May Day is held every year at three locations on the China border at Chushul, Bumla near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh and Nathu La in Sikkim. But the meeting on Wednesday took place only at Chushul and lasted around five hours.
