Catching up on border infrastructure, says Kiren Rijiju after tribal group claims land grab by China

Days after a tribal body in Arunachal Pradesh alleged that it was “losing their land, inch by inch, day by day to China” in the Taksing area, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said that although India started “late”, it has now begun building roads and other infrastructure in border areas.

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Mr. Rijiju, who represents the Arunachal West constituency in the State, told The Hindu that Taksing was connected by road only in 2019.

“Though late, we are now building roads and other infrastructure in border areas. We are catching up,” Mr. Rijiju, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs, said when asked about the claims of Chinese incursions made by the Nah Welfare Society (NWS) at Taksing in Upper Subansri district of Arunachal Pradesh.

The June 26 letter by Keru Chader, president, NWS, to the Deputy Commissioner of Upper Subansiri district stated that in the past 10 to 15 years, activities of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the border areas of Taksing circle have increased manifold with an intention to occupy as much land as possible.

“The following very important areas which were our lands before 2020 are now under the occupation of the Chinese PLA and they have set up military camps and constructed well-connected roads within last five years. The given below areas are located very close to Taksing headquarter and some of them are holy pilgrimage areas of Tsari-Oving [2445] in Asaphila area. Paniar [Chujarta area], Marpan [Marnafe], Potrang [Lake] and Tindingtang [TG],” the letter said.

In a statement, the Indian Army said, “We have seen some media reports alleging recent encroachment by Chinese PLA and setting up of camps in Arunachal Pradesh. These reports are incorrect and without any basis.”

There was no official statement from the External Affairs Ministry. According to a Foreign Ministry response in Parliament in 2008, China disputes the international boundary between India and China in the Eastern Sector and claims approximately 90,000 square kilometres of Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh.

Tache Chader, the general secretary of NWS, said that due to the presence of Chinese forces, the locals were unable to take their cattle out for grazing. He told The Hindu that the group was yet to get a response from the authorities regarding the letter. “We can no longer access the land that belonged to our ancestors. The Chinese are expanding and building roads at a fast pace,” he said.

The June 26 letter said that the Chinese government is expanding its territory by “occupying new and important places of our land situated at border area.”

It said China had constructed roads, bridges and set up military camps in many places. “Our ancestral lands which were our hunting areas where we freely roamed and collected forest products few years back and our cattle grazing areas are now under the occupation of the Chinese PLA. With extreme feeling of discontentment, I would like to request your honour to take up this matter with the State and Union Government for immediate intervention to stop the further activities of the Chinese PLA. We do not doubt our Indian Army and always have faith in them. They have been guarding our land for many years, but their efforts are not enough. The intention and speed of the present activities of the Chinese PLA at Taksing area is very alarming and a matter of grave concern for us. We are losing our land inch by inch day by day to them,” it said.

Another government source said that Asaphilla is a disputed area for many years but no permanent structure by the Chinese has been built there. The Army and the Indo Tibetan Border Police force are deployed along the China border and long-range patrols are regularly sent to the border areas, the government source said.

India shares a 3,488-km border with China that runs along Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.

According to Union Home Ministry, the border is not fully demarcated and the process of clarifying and confirming the Line of Actual Control is in progress. “The area is characterised by high altitude terrain and thick habitation which have resulted in inadequate development of infrastructure in these regions,” the Ministry said.