With successful termination of border standoff between India and China in Ladakh the issue has not come to a stage where we can say all is well in the end. Chumar in Ladakh was the flashpoint between the forces of both countries. Both the countries will be meeting on 16th to 17th October at New Delhi to discuss measures to prevent recurrence of such flare-ups. This is the first time China has admitted that there were border stand offs. Till now the official line from Beijing was that the border has not been demarcated and therefore one could not talk about any intrusion or standoff. As per the understanding to restore the status quo ante as it existed on 1st September China will not extend the road it was trying to construct in the disputed area in the Chumar Sector. India in return will demolish the recently built observation huts at Tible and refrain from building bunkers. Both countries have shown the determination, wisdom and capability to jointly maintain peace and stability of the border areas to create sound understanding for the expansion of bilateral relations. India should not lower its guards keeping past events in view. When all this was going Chinese made some inroads in Sikkim which was a new development all together as the intrusion in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh has been quiet regular. The Sikkim incident is a matter of concern. Keeping the development in mind India had to bolster its border defence mechanism by introducing air patrol element as part of surveillance system. Even the frontier forces like Indo-Tibetan Border Police which are manning India-China border in eastern sector should be equipped with its own helicopter air arm which will enhance its reach to tough mountainous areas where foot patrols have limitations. Not only this, during natural calamities these can be used for rescue and providing relief to the affected people.
