Along with the help of satellites and drones, Indian security forces are also creating a network of surveillance cameras and sensors to keep a close watch on the Chinese Army along the Line of Actual Control, reports The Economic Times. "A number of these new cameras and sensors have been deployed along the Line of Actual Control from Eastern Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh to keep a track of adversary's activities", government sources told ANI here. Read:Ecommerce, pharma to see higher salaries in India, but less so for hospitality: Aon survey "The high resolution unattended or remote-controlled cameras help in keeping a close watch on activities in far-flung areas and locations and also give time to ground troops to reach there," they said. The sources said the surveillance network comprising these cameras and sensors is helping the ground commanders respond swiftly to situations there. The Indian Army had highlighted the need for creating this surveillance network in a briefing to a parliamentary committee to keep a close watch on the Chinese actions there. Meanwhile, India and China are expected to hold the 12th round of talks any time now to discuss the resolution of issues at the Gogra Heights and Hot Springs friction points. Read: Floods & landslides in India kill over 100 The Indian security forces and establishment have been asking China to solve the issue first before taking upon other points like de-escalation. The issue of the Charding Nullah area is also expected to be taken up for discussions in future meetings as the Chinese have put up tents there and not vacating the positions despite Indian requests. Army sources maintain that a status quo remains in place in the Charding Nullah area the issue which started a couple of years ago. Read: India to maintain warships in Gulf zone to aid merchant ship However, sources said the Chinese have increased the number of tents in the Charding Nullah area around 10 but they have reduced it again. The Chinese have been talking to India after their aggressive manoeuvres last year, but not much has been achieved other than partial withdrawal along the banks of the Pangong Tso Lake.

With India firmly conveying to China that the prolongation of the existing situation in eastern Ladakh was visibly impacting the bilateral ties in a "negative manner", Beijing today said it is ready to seek a mutually acceptable solution to the issues that require "emergency response" through negotiation and consultation. During their hour-long in-person meeting on the sidelines of the SCO conclave in Dushanbe on Wednesday, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar also told his Chinese counterpart and State Councilor Wang Yi that any unilateral change in the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was "not acceptable" to India and that the overall ties can only develop after full restoration of peace and tranquillity in eastern Ladakh. Read:China-South Asian Countries Poverty Alleviation Centre starts journey The meeting in Tajikistan's capital took place amid a stalemate in the disengagement process between the two militaries in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh after they withdrew troops and weapons from the Pangong Lake areas in February following series of military and diplomatic talks to resolve the standoff since May last year. In a statement posted on its website on Thursday on Wang Yi's talks with Dr Jaishankar, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, the minister stated the overall situation in the border area has de-escalated after the withdrawal of troops from the Galwan Valley and Pangong Lake areas. However, the relations between India and China are still at a "low level" which is not in the interest of either side, Wang Yi said. While reiterating China's oft-repeated stand that it was not responsible for the China-India border standoff, Wang Yi, however said that "China is ready to find a solution acceptable to both sides on the issue that needs emergency response through negotiation and consultation." "The two sides must place the border issue in an appropriate position in bilateral relations, expand the positive momentum of bilateral cooperation and create favourable conditions for resolving differences through negotiation," he said. The nature of China-India relations is how two adjacent developing countries look at each other, coexist in harmony and help each other succeed, he said. "China's strategic assessment of China-India relations has not changed. China and India pose no threat but offer development opportunities to each other. The two countries are partners rather than rivals or enemies," the Chinese foreign minister said. The principles of China-India relations should still be mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, and mutual respect for each other's core interests, he said. Read: China's foreign minister says Indo-Pacific strategy should be dumped The interaction between the two countries should still be seeking mutual benefits and complementarity, pursuing healthy competition and avoiding confrontation, with cooperation as the main theme, Wang Yi said. While China moved its troops from Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso, the disengagement has not been completed from other friction points like Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang in eastern Ladakh. In his meeting with Wang Yi, Dr Jaishankar firmly conveyed that the prolongation of the existing situation in eastern Ladakh was visibly impacting the bilateral ties in a "negative manner" and rued that there was no forward movement from the Chinese side since the disengagement in Pangong Lake areas in February that had created conditions for resolving the remaining issues. Dr Jaishankar told Wang Yi that any unilateral change in the status quo along the LAC was "not acceptable" to India and that the overall ties can only develop after full restoration of peace and tranquillity in eastern Ladakh, according to statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs on the talks. Wang Yi, according to the Chinese foreign ministry, also said that the two sides must consolidate the results of disengagement that have been achieved, strictly abide by the agreement and common understanding of the two sides, and "refrain from taking unilateral actions in sensitive and controversial areas, in order to avoid any recurrence of tensions due to misunderstanding and miscalculation." "We must take a long-term perspective and gradually move from emergency response toward regular management and control, to avoid unnecessary interruptions of border-related issues to China-India relations," he was quoted as saying by the Chinese foreign ministry statement. Recalling their last meeting in Moscow, in September 2020, Dr Jaishankar also emphasised the need to follow through on the agreement reached then and complete the disengagement, resolving the remaining issues along the LAC in eastern Ladakh at the earliest. Read:Biden backs Trump rejection of China’s South China Sea claim It has been reported that each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the sensitive sector. The Chinese foreign ministry statement pointed out that during the meeting between Wang Yi and Dr Jaishankar, both sides believe the two countries must lift bilateral relations out of the low level and achieve healthy and stable development. The two sides encourage strengthening consultations on the border issue through the existing mechanism to consolidate the achieved results, and working towards turning emergency response to regular management and control to safeguard the peace and tranquillity of the border area, the statement added.

From construction of roads, tunnels and bridges to early opening of mountain passes despite formidable terrain and weather challenges, India has worked on a war-footing over the last year to ensure swifter mobility of its troops and weapon systems in forward areas amidst the continuing military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh. India is still quite behind China in terms of border infrastructure but “all-out efforts are being made to narrow the gap”, even as 50,000 to 60,000 troops continue to remain forward deployed along the frontier, say officers. Read: Ex-India skipper Md Azharuddin sacked as regional cricket body chief Towards enhancing border connectivity, defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday e-inaugurated 12 roads built by Border Roads Organization (BRO), which includes a 20-km Kimin-Potin double lane one and nine others in Arunachal Pradesh as well as one each in Ladakh and J&K. “India seeks peace but knows how to respond befittingly if anyone shows us an aggressive attitude,” he said, at the event in Lakhimpur district of Assam. The two-day Army commanders’ conference, chaired by General M M Naravane, also kicked off in Delhi on Thursday to discuss the operational situation along the borders with China and Pakistan. China has so far declined to complete the stalled disengagement process at Hot Springs, Gogra and Demchok in eastern Ladakh, let alone stop blocking Indian patrols in the strategically-located Depsang Plains. It has also upgraded infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control in terms of roads, troop accommodations, helipads and surface-to-air missiles positions, as was earlier reported by TOI. Read: After Black & White: First case of Green Fungus reported in India India, too, has cranked up its efforts. Overall, BRO has completed 1,200-km of “road formation works” and 2,850-km of “surfacing works” over the last one year. “Of the 1,200-km figure, just 162-km is in Rajasthan. The rest is distributed all along the northern border from J&K to Arunachal,” an official told TOI. There is also much-needed progress in the slow pace of construction of the 73 “strategically-important roads”, totaling 4,643-km along the China front, which were first approved way back in 1999. Of the 61 roads (totaling 3,323-km) roads with BRO, around 45 have been fully completed, while “connectivity” has been achieved on 59. “Seven of the last nine roads that will be left this year will be completed by March 2022, and the other two by March 2023,” said another official. Read: India’s Taj Mahal reopens as new infections slow Similarly, BRO has “completed” 74 permanent bridges and 33 bailey bridges over the last one year. “Some forward locations, like Yangtse in Arunachal, have also been connected,” he added. As for mountain passes in the higher reaches of Himalayas, several of them ranging from Zoji La, Lachung La and Shinkun La to Baralacha La and Nakee La have been opened much ahead of time this year. “The early opening of these passes has led to crores being saved on air sustenance efforts,” said the official. This article was first published on The Times of India