New road in Nathu La sector opened, will bolster defence

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said India wanted the ongoing border tensions with China to end and peace to prevail, but it would not let anyone take away even an inch of its land.

Rajnath Singh made the remarks after performing ‘Shastra Puja’, the customary worship of weapons on the occasion of Dasehra, at the Sukna-based headquarters of the 33 Corps in Darjeeling district. “India’s brave soldiers have sacrificed their lives (for India’s safety). We want Indo-China border tension to end and peace to be preserved. But unpleasant incidents keep happening. However, I am confident that our soldiers will not let anyone take even an inch of our land,” he said.

He was accompanied by Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane.

Rajnath inaugurated a new road in Sikkim — Alternate Alignment for Gangtok-Nathu La Road — via video-conferencing from the 33 Corps headquarters. The new alignment was required as the existing one is extensively damaged. The road serves as an important link to bolster defence preparedness in the Nathu La sector and East Sikkim. Nathu La is at the LAC and is the designated meeting point for the Army and China’s People’s Liberation Army. The Defence Minister was scheduled to perform the puja at Sherathang, a high-altitude border outpost barely 2 km from the LAC with China in Sikkim, but could not go there due to bad weather, which prevented his copter from taking off.

The Defence Minister complimented the BRO for its commitment towards delivering outstanding quality infrastructure in record time and with optimal costs.