New Delhi: India on Friday said that a second bridge being constructed by China on Pangong lake is in an area that has been under illegal occupation of that country since 1960.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said “India has never accepted such illegal occupation of India’s territory. We have seen reports of a bridge being constructed by China on Pangong Lake alongside its earlier bridge and both these bridges are in areas that have continued to be under the illegal occupation of China since the 1960s,”
The statement comes after Satellite imagery suggested that China is constructing the second bridge in the strategically key region right next to the first one, amid a lingering border row in eastern Ladakh.
The government is keeping a constant watch on the developments that have a bearing on India’s security and takes all necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Bagchi on Thursday said.
China has started building a second bridge across the Pangong Lake that will be capable of accommodating heavy armoured vehicles, months after completing another bridge in the same region that is claimed by India.
In January, when reports of China building the first bridge across the Pangong Tso emerged, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it is located in an area that is under illegal occupation of China for 60 years. According to experts, China completed the construction of the first bridge across Pangong Tso in April.
(Smit)
