Exclusive | From India's Easternmost Village to near LAC: Modi Govt Paves Way for 78-km Arunachal Road

walterbibikow · Feb 3, 2023

From its easternmost village in Arunachal Pradesh, India will now be getting a new 78-km-long strategic road right up to four kilometres from the Line of Actual Control (LAC), touching almost the crucial tri-junction of India, China, and Myanmar.
The Narendra Modi government on February 1 began the process to build a new road from Dong village to Jachep camp in Arunachal Pradesh, inviting bids to construct it within the next three years. The road is significant as Dong is the country’s easternmost village and the new road will lead to Jachep, which is located about 4 km short of the China border and 20 km from the Myanmar border.

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Once completed at a cost of nearly Rs 200 crore, the 3.75-metre-wide single-lane carriageway could become an extremely vital project to transport men, arms and ammunition close to the LAC and the tri-junction with China and Myanmar. A helipad is also proposed to come up almost mid-way of this road stretch. The road will pass through extremely steep terrains, allowing a maximum speed of 30-40 km/hr.

CHALLENGING PROJECT
The project will start from Dong, which lies at the meeting point of Lohit and Seti rivers in Arunachal Pradesh, ending at Jachep camp, which is located just 4 km short of the LAC. The road corridor will start at an elevation of 1,255 m at Dong and rise up to 4,500 m near the border regions of China, India, and Myanmar.
The major length of the road has to cover snow-clad mountain tops to counter the sudden rise in elevation near Patthar camp, News18 has learnt.
The road will be as per single-lane national highway specifications and will be a greenfield project.

ARUNACHAL IS SENSITIVE

Arunachal Pradesh has seen skirmishes between the Indian and Chinese troops over the years. Last December, defence minister Rajnath Singh revealed that Chinese troops had tried to cross the LAC in Yangtze in Tawang sector to “unilaterally change the status quo” but were forced to retreat due to the timely intervention of Indian troops.

In October 2021, too, a large Chinese patrol attempted to transgress the LAC at Yangtze, leading to a major face-off between the two sides. What followed was the temporary detention of Chinese troops in the area, News18 had earlier reported. The Chinese troops had then attempted to damage a few unoccupied bunkers at the border pass of Bum La and Yangtze — near the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh.

INDIA RAMPING UP INFRA AT LAC

News18 reported exclusively last month that a new single-lane highway of around 135 km would come up alongside the Line of Actual Control (LAC) from Chushul to Demchok in Ladakh in the next two years, which will act as a major strategic road for the country as a counter to China. This road will be the second boost for infrastructure in the Leh region after the BRO had last month invited bids for building the Nyoma Airfield in Ladakh, comprising an advanced landing ground where fighter planes can land soon.
India and China have been involved in a face-to-face confrontation at LAC since 2020 when the Galwan clash turned deadly with casualties on both sides.