THE STANDING committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL) has recommended approval for 12 key defence projects in Ladakh, of which, Defence Ministry has said, some are necessary for “high level of operational preparedness” in the context of “increasing assertiveness of People’s Liberation Army (PLA)”. The panel is chaired by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.
The projects, including a training node at Tara, an artillery battery in Leh, two formation ammunition storage facilities (FASF), a brigade HQ at Chushul, Leh and border outposts of Indo-Tibetan at Qazi Langar near Depsang, have been approved across Changthang Cold Desert Sanctuary and Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary, according to the minutes of the panel’s October 29 meeting.
Additionally, it also approved construction of an Army camp in Leh and a proposal to construct a 158-m span permanent Pinjoli bridge on the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang Road in Arunachal Pradesh’s Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary.
For establishing a training node area at Tara in Ladakh, the Defence Ministry submitted that the responsibility of a CIF (U) — Counter Insurgency Force — extends from Pangong Tso to Mount Gya, while formation headquarters are located at second stage and majority units are deployed at an altitude of 15,000 feet and above.
“The increasing assertiveness of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the region necessitates a high level of operational preparedness,” the Defence Ministry submitted.
“In this context, the availability of dedicated training infrastructure, encompassing both indoor and outdoor facilities at Super High Altitude Areas — i.e. around 15,000 feet elevation — is essential to facilitate regular and realistic training for troops while maintaining their operational presence in the AoR (area of responsibility),” it said. The proposed training site is located adjacent to Tara Battalion and is part of Chushul sub-sector.
The latest round of approvals are in line with a push to ramp up infrastructure near the LAC in the aftermath of the 2020 Galwan clash with China that claimed the lives of 20 Indian Army personnel.
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Lessons learnt from previous conflict
The Centre has ramped up construction of strategically important defence projects in Ladakh’s eastern sector since the 2020 Galwan clashes. Earlier, the SC-NBWL cleared projects such as a forward aviation base, facilities to house missiles, five key road stretches, including one on the alternate road to Daulat Beg Oldie. The objective of these projects is to improve operational readiness and speed up troop mobilisation.
The ministry noted that even as the Deputy Conservator of Forest and Chief Wildlife Warden recommended the training node proposal, the conditions prescribed were general in nature and no specific wildlife mitigation plan was provided. The cold desert ecosystem, it noted, supported rare and endangered species.
The two FASF at Tsogtsalu in Changthang sanctuary and in Karakoram sanctuary will require 24.2 hectares and 47.1 hectares of sanctuary land. The Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary is home to Tibetan wolf, wild yak, bharal, wild dog, snow leopard, brown bear and marmot while the Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary is home to Tibetan antelope, shapo, wild yak, bharal, leopards, Himalayan mouse and lynx.
The Union Environment Ministry said in its comments on the FASF proposals that utmost caution must be exercised to minimise ecological impacts in the fragile cold desert ecosystem in Changthang sanctuary.
Another key proposal that received a nod was use of 40 hectares of Changthang sanctuary for establishment of a brigade headquarters at Chushul.
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“Since the units under command of Headquarters 142 Infantry Brigade are already deployed along the LAC, it is crucial for the Brigade Headquarters to be deployed in the vicinity of the LAC for better command and control. Therefore, it is essential to acquire land at Chushul for construction of assets for deployment of Headquarters 142 Infantry brigade,” the Ministry said.
