Some folks in AP claim to not feel safe...
PLA denying Indian forces access to key patrolling points in Taksing: PPA
ITANAGAR, 10 Aug: A fact-finding committee (FFC) deputed by the People's Party of Arunachal (PPA) has reported that
China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops have effectively denied Indian forces access to key patrolling points in the Taksing area of Upper Subansiri district and are steadily expanding control over traditional Indian grazing and hunting grounds along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The four-member committee, headed by former minister and PPA chief adviser Kahfa Bengia, visited Taksing on 10 July. Other members were Kaling Jerang (vice president), Sorang Kiokam (secretary) and Narah Jimmy (secretary). The team held detailed interactions with local leaders, elders and intellectuals from Taksing, Maza and Galemo, as well as with senior defence personnel and jawans stationed in the area.
One of the most serious findings concerns
Shera 5 Point, a designated Indian patrolling point. According to local accounts shared with the committee,
Indian and Chinese troops had a physical confrontation at the site in 2023.
The Indian forces subsequently withdrew and have not returned. PLA troops later dismantled the remaining Indian markers and have since blocked Indian patrols from accessing the point.
The FFC described this as a clear illustration of how incremental Chinese intrusions are being consolidated on the ground.
The PPA team also reported that Nanga Pahar, traditionally used by the Nah and Mara communities for hunting and yak rearing, has been declared a strictly prohibited zone for local residents.
"This restriction," the committee noted, "has given the PLA greater freedom to push forward. The nature of the intrusions is well calculated, gradual and persistent, following a familiar pattern seen over several years," it stated.
The team identified major operational gaps and vulnerabilities in the area, including that the
Indian Army's patrolling is largely confined to the April-October window. The harsh winter weather and heavy snowfall lead to suspension of regular patrolling for the remaining months, whereas the PLA activity continues year-round.
It also observed that the porters, who normally ferry supplies for Indian troops, are not engaged during the winter months, "which indicates clear low presence of Indian troops."
As a counter measures, the FFC also pressed for "acceleration of the ongoing BRO road from Nacho to Taksing on a war footing." It also urged the government to prioritise the proposed 68-km BRO road from Galemo to Pokorla.
It demanded that the government expedite the Taksing-Pokorla road via Yaja and Huri under a strict time-bound schedule and construct a helipad at Sipi 2 (Rest Point) and establish permanent Army base camps at Sipi 4 and Sipi 6.
The FFC also recommended providing reliable power supply (instead of diesel generators) and functional telephone/network connectivity in forward locations such as Maza and Galemo. Both jawans and local residents flagged poor power and communication links as major demotivating factors, it said.
