Samaan Lateef

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 20

To match the infrastructure raised by China across McMahon Line in the Ladakh region, the Central government is constructing roads to make areas close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) accessible.According to documents, the state government has approved the 150-km-long Chusmule-Dungti-Fukche-Demchok road, seen as strategically important.The project came up for discussion at the Standing Committee meeting of the Wildlife Department earlier this week. The meeting was attended by Forest Minister Choudhary Lal Singh, State Wildlife Chief Deepak Khanna and officers of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).“Officials informed the minister about the proposal for the construction of the road from Chusmule-Dungti-Fukche-Demchok by the BRO, using 161.76 hectares in the Changthang Cold Desert Wildlife Sanctuary,” read an official handout.After the approval, the minister recommended the proposal to the National Bureau of Wildlife, which will take a final call on wildlife clearance.Demchok village is located along the Zero Line on the border with China. “This road will take us to China,” a senior official in Leh told The Tribune.Due to inaccessibility, he said a battalion of the security forces was posted too far from the LAC. “I am sure this road will be constructed on a fast-track basis in the interest of national security,” he said.The work on a 3.8-km-long road to connect two hamlets at the LAC in Demchok was stopped in October 2009 after protests by the China’s People’s Liberation Army.The Chinese army had then sought a flag meeting with the Indian Army and objected to the road construction as it considers the area disputed, officials said.The road will be constructed by the BRO in Ladakh. It has justified the construction of the road by terming it strategically important and for the nation’s security in view of China’s repeated incursions in the area.“It is mainly because of the strategic importance of the road and keeping in view the nation’s security consideration,” reads the BRO communication to the government. It said the road alignment does not have any trees and no significant damage to the environment was likely to be caused due to the construction of the road.However, the state government has asked the BRO to pay 5 per cent of the total cost of the project to the Wildlife Department for conservation and preservation of wildlife and its habitat.The government said the conservation in remote areas such as Ladakh could only be achieved by cooperation between armed forces, paramilitary forces and the state authorities. It further called for constitution of a coordination committee with members from security forces and the Wildlife Department to conduct regular meetings to achieve conservation of wildlife and environment.