Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane on Wednesday said that the Indian Army is upgrading and developing infrastructure at the border areas to deal with the ‘nefarious’ neighbours. “Up-gradation and development of infrastructure along the Northern Borders are being carried out in a holistic and comprehensive manner including roads and tunnels, for all-weather connectivity, strategic railway lines, additional bridges across the Brahmaputra, up-gradation of bridges on critical Indo-China Border Roads, and storage for supplies, fuel and ammunition”, informed Gen MM Naravane.
He added that since January last year, there has been a positive development on India’s northern and western borders. He also informed that the Army has also increased the capacity of force, infrastructure, weapons in the entire Northern front including Eastern Ladakh. “In the last one year our capability across the Northern borders has grown in many ways”, stated the Army Chief.
“The overall security situation, in the North-Eastern Region remained under control. A robust security posture has significantly curtailed the operational space for terrorists. There has been a graduated deinduction of Army units, from areas where the security situation has improved”, added Gen MM Naravane. “War or conflict is always an instrument of last resort. But if resorted to, we will come out victorious,” says Army Chief Gen MM Naravane while answering a question regarding the situation on the northern border. On India’s stand to terrorism, the Army Chief said, “We, on our part, have resolved to show ‘Zero Tolerance’ to terror, and commit ourselves to extract dire costs, should that be forced upon us.”
On the Indo-Myanmar border, Naravane said that India would progressively increase, the number of AR Battalions deployed for border guarding in the near future. According to Naravne, the re-orientation of additional forces to the Northern Borders has been carried out, while retaining India’s punitive strike capability, along the Western Front. ” Force Restructuring, for enhanced operational effectiveness, and resultant structural optimisation, through the creation of Integrated Battle Groups is progressing well. IBG-isation of select formations, along the Western Front and Northern Borders will soon come to fruition.” Moreover, the Indian Army committed to the “Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan”, has taken significant steps on leveraging Artificial Intelligence, 5G, and Quantum Technology, to gain an edge over its likely adversaries and better management of forces, informed the Army Chief. (ANI)