In June this year, the construction of road at the disputed Doklam site became an international issue and both India and China stayed firm on their stances. However, China had to finally back off from the site of dispute and since then, the countries have tried to once again, fuel their bilateral relations because either of them know that the other is needed in order to maintain peace and continue development in the region. The proposed road development by China in June could have become a security vulnerability to the Siliguri corridor, which is also known as Chicken’s neck, because the 12 kilometer wide corridor connects rest of India to the easter states.
However, the softened stance of China seems to have short lived. The latest report suggest that the Chinese army is constructing road not even 10 kilometers away from the site where face-off took place earlier this year. If the latest media reports are to be believed, China has been using the material and machines that it had got to Doklam. The latest development does not include building a fresh road, however, the Chinese army is working on widening the already present road which was constructed a few years ago. With the widened road, China can support the movement of their soldiers and needed material to the border more efficiently.
According to a highly placed source in the government, the Indian officials have not yet reacted to the road build because the latest proposed development does not direct towards the military sensitive Jampheri Ridge area where the face-off took place months back.
The above quoted source also added that the armies of both the countries are at operational alert and India is keeping a close eye on every development taking place in the region. Also, that the Chinese army will move back to Yatung once the winter starts. Yatung is the last chinese town leading to the narrow valley of Chumbi. However, with such situations, nothing can be concluded and the government needs to wait and watch.