India to move 12k workers to Chinese border to complete pending infrastructure works: Sources

New Delhi, June 02: New Delhi has told China in clear terms that it would not suspend its ongoing projects to build roads and bridges in the border areas.

India further has said that it will not enter any bilateral agreements that might infringe upon its sovereign right to build such infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). India is also organising special trains to move 12,000 construction workers from Jharkhand to areas closer to the disputed boundary with China. The Ministry of Defence is working with the Ministry of Home Affairs and also the Ministry of Railways to move construction workers from Jharkhand to areas closer to the Indo-China border.

Top sources tell OneIndia that India wants to send a strong message to China with this move. The infrastructure work which was slowed down owing to the pandemic will pick up pace now, the source also said.

Currently, 61 border roads are under construction. Only 25 per cent of these works are pending and hence now is the time to give it a further push and complete the work, the source cited above said. These roads at Ladakh would give India better access to areas close to the LAC.

The situation deteriorated after around 250 Chinese and Indian soldiers were engaged in a violent face-off on the evening of May 5 in Pangong Tso which spilled over to the next day before the two sides agreed to "disengage".

However, the standoff continued.

The trigger for the face-off was China's stiff opposition to India laying a key road in the Finger area around the Pangong Tso besides construction of another road connecting the Darbuk-Shayok-Daulat Beg Oldie road in Galwan Valley.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said bilateral talks were on at military and diplomatic levels with China to resolve the row.