In the
aftermath of the 1962 border war with China, with India beaten
squarely and completely by the Chinese, the official Indian psyche,
scarred by defeat and general ignorance of Chinese intentions and
capabilities, had developed into a strange, defeatist line of
thinking. The new policy then adopted, involved keeping India’s
border areas deliberately underdeveloped and lacking in roads and
telecommunications in order to prevent another instance of easy
access to the plains for the Chinese army.
It is
also true that infrastructure development in border areas was never
a top priority for the newly independent India after 1947. Indian
government was fully aware of the shortcomings of physical
infrastructure in the border regions but was unable to get various
agencies of the central and state governments to function in a
coordinated and timely manner to plug the gaps. Those were also the
days of severe economic crunch and Government's priorities were
different.
As a
result of this post 1962 policy, the border areas were completely
neglected, whereas Chinese went on merrily developing the roads and
rail lines in Tibet. Only much later, India realised the shortcomings
and the folly of this policy. But during the intervening years, China
had already taken a tremendous lead in infrastructure project
developments in border areas. In fact, one of the principle reasons
for 1962 border war with India was a road between Tibet and Xinjiang
that passed through Aksai Chin area belonging to India in 1957
itself. China since has developed good roads in all border areas.
Its friendship highway connecting Lhasa city to Kathmandu is another
good example.
In
2006, China reached a major milestone, when the Qinghai-Tibet railway
began operation, introducing railway transportation into Tibet for
the first time in history. The railway links Xining, capital of
Qinghai Province, with Lhasa gaining a tremendous strategic advantage
vis-a-vis India. This railway service has greatly boosted Tibet's
tourism and other sectors. Tourist arrivals in Tibet reached 12.9
million last year from 1.8 million in 2005. Tourism revenue increased
from 1.94 billion yuan to 16.5 billion yuan during the period.
China
has now surpassed that feat with another railway line in Tibet. It
inaugurated on 15th
August 2014, its second railway line in Tibet, built at a cost of
$2.16 billion. The 253-km railway line links Tibet's provincial
capital Lhasa with Xigaze, the second-largest city in Tibet and also
the traditional seat of the pro-Beijing Panchen Lama — stated to be
second important Monk in Tibetan hierarchy. The current Lhasa-Xingaze
road is frequently troubled by seasonal natural disasters such as
landslides in summer and ice in the winter.
Xigaze
also happens to be close to Indian border in Sikkim. This means that
mobility of its military in the remote and strategic Himalayan region
is bound to get a boost. Xigaze is also famous as "Tibet's
granary. The city attracts thousands of pilgrims and visitors each
year. In recent years, Tashihunpo Monastery has received over 200,000
visitors from home and abroad annually.
Lhasa-
Xigaze railway is an engineering wonder. It is also the most
expensive in China's history; the cost of the railway exceeded 50,000
yuan per meter on an average. The entire line is constructed on
world's highest plateau and passes through stunningly beautiful
alpine valleys along the Yarlung Zangbo (Brahmaputra) River,. There
are 116 bridges and 29 tunnels, which account for 46 percent of the
total length of the railway. The plateau railway had a particularly
problematic construction with difficulties including an oxygen-poor
environment, a delicate ecosystem, wildlife migrations, and many
complex environmental issues. To minimize disturbance to wildlife,
the line has set up bridges across wetlands and a nature reserve for
black cranes. There are also vegetation slope protection, sand and
sound barriers
Railway
builders faced harsh tests of frozen earth, high altitude and a
fragile environment, said Zhu Jintang, chief engineer of one section.
"Along the Lhasa-Xigaze line, we overcame new challenges such as
the long spans and deep water bridges, as well as a high geothermal
tunnel," Its route also extends through the 60-km-long Yarlung
Zangbo River Grand Canyon region, which has multiple hot or thermal
springs ranging from 40 to 90 degrees Celsius. "Drilling into
the hot rocks, rail workers had difficulty breathing due to oxygen
deficiency," said Xu.
China
has recently unveiled new plans for more rail lines in Tibet. A new
crucial railway line in Tibet close to Arunachal Pradesh, has been
planned, that will link Lhasa with Nyingchi in the east, located
right close to India's Arunachal Pradesh. Another line connecting
Xigaze with Gyirong county, close to Nepal, also will be constructed
in next 5 years.
Compare
this with situation on the other side of the border. Even good roads
have not been constructed because India's environment ministry sat
tight on the proposals. The 1962 policy of keeping India’s border
areas deliberately underdeveloped and lacking in roads and
telecommunications in order to prevent another instance of easy
access to the plains for the Chinese army is really going to hit us
in case of another border skirmish, unless India goes full steam
ahead and completes the network of roads badly needed in border area
in the shortest possible time.
18th
August 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment