No orders to stop construction of Damchok, India had taken up the issue with Beijing

New Delhi, Dec.5 (ANI): Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao on Friday said that the Government has taken up the issue of Chinese objection to the construction of road in Demchok area of Ladakh near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with Beijing.

Addressing the media in the national capital, the Foreign Secretary said: "It has been taken up with the Chinese side during one of the flag-meetings that we have at the ground level."

Recently, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah confirmed that the eight-kilometre stretch, which was being constructed under the NREGS, had been stopped after the Chinese Army objected to the road construction in Demchok, which is on the Indian side of the LAC. The work was stopped in the last week of October.

However, contradicting that the construction work on the Demchok road is stopped, Nirupama Rao said: "I am not aware of any instructions having being passed on to the people working in that area top stop the construction of the road."

In fact, Rao also downplayed the issue by saying that it is the result of differing perceptions of the LAC.

"Let me say, that the whole issue of the differing perceptions of LAC in the area around Demchok has been taken up at many occasions with the Chinese side," Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said when asked about the recent Chinese objection.

Earlier, China had asked India to stop building activities along their disputed boundary insisting that till this issue is settled the two countries should maintain "peace and stability" in the border areas.

"On the border issue, China and India have disputes," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a news conference.

Sino-India relations are going through a rough patch , earlier both countries engaged in a war of words over Dalai lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

India also condemned construction of Dam by China in the Paksitan Occupied Kashmir and the Chinese Authorities also raised Objections over issuance of stapled visas to Kashmiris.

Off Later while addressing the council on Foreign Relations in the United States, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had said that he failed to understand the reason behind the assertiveness on the Chinese part.

Defence Minister has also recently expressed concerns over the Pakistan China nexus. (ANI)