EARTHQUQKE PUTS INDIAN ARMY BACK BY MANY YEARS IN SIKKIM

Plateau worry for army

New Delhi, Sept. 21: One of the most strategic points on the India-China frontier, a plateau at 16,500 feet with a serene lake within it on the northern tip of Sikkim, is the biggest concern for the army since Sunday’s earthquake because China claims it.  Called simply “Plateau” by the soldiers, the high tableland circled by mountains is 16km at its widest and 23km at its longest. This is the only place on the frontier where the Indian Army has a toehold on the Tibetan Plateau.  Since Sunday, there has been almost no contact with the camps of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the army in Plateau.  From Plateau, India also has possession of a narrow strip some 4km long between two high ranges. This is called “Finger” because that is what it resembles on the map — a curving bit that juts into Chinese territory.  The border is unmarked except by cairns — little heaps of stones. At the southern end of this barren landscape is Gurudongmar Lake, brilliant turquoise in summer and mostly frozen in winter.  The ITBP and the army man two camps in Plateau and from mountain-top posts that rim Plateau, they have a clear view into Tibet allowing them to observe with sophisticated viewing devices any movement from a distance of more than 20km.  The high altitude means that an Mi 17 helicopter can land or take off from Plateau with only one passenger (it can seat 14). The area is the responsibility of the 112 Brigade headquartered in Mangan.  In 2008 and 2009 there were reports that Chinese vehicles and troops had crossed into Finger and were attempting to build a road across it. But the army says that there has been no alteration of the border here in 40 years.  The Indian and Chinese armies follow a set of rules when their patrols come across one another. The soldiers are not even supposed to make eye contact and Indian soldiers have reported locking arms and turning their backs on Chinese troops.  Plateau and Finger are north of Lachen, at least four hours in a four-wheel-drive in fair weather. In the last two years the Indian army has inducted at least a squadron of tanks and armoured personnel carriers to the region — a rare place on the frontier that affords deployment of wheeled and tracked vehicles.  Maintaining the military presence in Plateau and Finger involves acclimatising the troops and keeping reserves of fuel, food and other supplies. The army assesses that the reserves will keep its men going for about a week.  But the temblor has come at a bad time for the military. In end-September and early-October each year, the army concludes its monsoon deployment and goes into an “Operational Alert” before winter sets in. This is the time when the “winter stocking” of forward posts — such as those in Plateau and Finger is carried out.  With the roads blocked by landslides and many villagers who are hired by the army as porters shelterless, winter stocking is on hold. One officer feared that the earthquake in Sikkim may have set the military infrastructure that was built up over three decades behind by about 20 years. Troops may now have to march to their posts, which were supplied by motor vehicles, on foot. This increases the military response time in the event of hostilities.