In contrast, several spots in the western (Ladakh) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal) sectors have emerged as major flashpoints with frequent troop face-offs.Gen Rawat, incidentally, had just last month warned thatand other measures.China, of course, has assiduously built an extensive network of railway lines, highways, metal-top roads, air bases, radars, logistics hubs and other infrastructure in the entire Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) to sustain over 30 divisions (each with over 15,000 soldiers), including five to six "rapid reaction forces" there.The People's Liberation Army now also has requisite infrastructure for swift mobility of troops and weapon systems in western TAR opposite the middle sector of the LAC. "PLA has already connected four passes there, with its road-heads to another seven-eight passes being less than 5-km," said a source.China has also re-organized its 2.3-million PLA into five theatre commands to crank up its offensive capabilities. Its Western Theatre Command now handles the entire LAC with India instead of the earlier Chengdu Military Region in the east and the Lanzhou Military Region towards the north.But India has floundered in playing catch-up. Only 27 "strategic all-weather roads" (963-km) of the 73 (totalling (4,643-km) identified for construction along the LAC over 15 years ago, for instance, have been completed till now. Moreover, the long-proposed construction of 14 "strategic railway lines" for the western and eastern fronts has not even kicked off till now, as was earlier reported by TOI.

Source: Times of India October 10, 2017 17:37 UTC