New Army Chief reaches Ladakh; reviews border situation [details]

After taking charge as Army Chief, General Manoj Pande on Thursday reached Ladakh on a three-day visit to review the situation on the border.

General Pande reviewed the prevailing security scenario in the cold desert and the operational preparedness of the troops deployed in Ladakh. General Manoj Pande is on his maiden visit to the Ladakh region after assuming the reins of the Indian Army.

The Army Chief was briefed on the security situation along the borders with a special focus on Eastern Ladakh. The high level of operational readiness being maintained by the forces while maintaining a high tempo of capability development was highlighted.

Later, General Manoj Pande accompanied by Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, and Lieutenant General A Sengupta, General Officer Commanding, Fire and Fury Corps called on RK Mathur, Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of Ladakh.

This was followed by a detailed discussion on issues related to Civil-Military cooperation and the role of the Indian Army in developmental activities in the Union Territory of Ladakh.

During his three-day visit to Ladakh, General Manoj Pande, Chief of Army Staff will visit forward areas in Eastern Ladakh and interact with troops deployed along the Line of Actual Control in the most difficult and inhospitable terrain in the world.

Troops ready to deal with any situation: Army Chief

On May 9, General Manoj Pande said that the basic issue with China remains the resolution of the boundary question but Beijing has intended to keep it "alive". He asserted that Indian troops are adequately deployed to deal with any situation along the frontier.

Gen Pande said the Army aims to restore the status quo ante before April 2020 and that guidance has been given to the troops deployed along the border to remain firm and resolute in their tasks.

The Army chief said that Indian troops continue to hold "important positions" along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and that the Army has a "robust posture" to confront any situation. "The basic issue remains the resolution of the border. What we see is that China's intent has been to keep the boundary issue alive," he said.

The situation on LAC is stable, says GoC-in-C

General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) Northern Command, Lt. Gen. Upendra Dwivedi recently said that situation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is stable.

"The situation as of today on the LAC is stable it is in the state of heightened alert", he said, adding, "We don't want a situation to be repeated which took place in April 2020 as a result of the force deployment as well as the equipment deployment is calibrated in nature, we will make sure that any kind of misadventure by the adversary does not take place again."

He said that various channels of communication have been opened to avoid volatile situations on the LAC.