Home > English-DNS

Blog / 18 Jul 2020

(Daily News Scan - DNS English) What are LAC Patrolling Points?

image


(Daily News Scan - DNS English) What are LAC Patrolling Points?


The standoffs between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), where initial steps towards disengagement have taken place, are surrounded by a number of patrolling points or PPs in Galwan, Hot Springs and Gogra areas. The Chinese troops have moved away from the Patrolling point 15 of the Hot spring Area OF Ladakh as a part of the disengagement underway to reduce tension on the borders.

In this edition of DNS we will talk about patrolling points.

We are aware that clash took place between the Army of India and China a few days back. The LAC is surrounded by a number of patrolling points. These patrolling points are identified and marked on the LAC. They serve as a guide to the location of the LAC for the soldiers, acting as indicators of the extent of ‘actual control’ exercised on the territory by India. They are patrolled with a specific frequency by the security forces. The Indian side is able to establish and claim its physical presence of the LAC by regularly patrolling the patrolling points.

There are different categories of patrolling points. Some are PPs are prominent and identifiable geographical features, such as a pass, or a nala junction where no numerals are given. Only those PPs, where there are no prominent geographical features, are numbered as in the case of PP14 in Galwan Valley.

Most of the patrolling points are located on the LAC except a few. The Depsang plains in northern Ladakh, where PP10, PP11, PP11A, PP12 and PP13 from Raki Nala to Jivan Nala, do not fall on the LAC. These are short of the LAC, on the Indian side.

Few of the patrolling points under dispute. PPs 10 to 13 in Depsang sector, PP14 in Galwan, PP15 in Hot Spring, and PP17 and PP17A in Gogra are currently being disputed by both sides, where the standoffs have taken place in the past few weeks.

Unlike on the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, the border with China is not physically held by the Army all along. The PPs are not the actual posts and thus they are not manned. They are just physical markers on the ground, chosen for their location and have no defensive potential or tactical importance for the Army.

When the patrolling points are not manned there are some ways to prove the claim by the army. The claim is asserted by the Army or joint Army-ITBP patrols as they show more visible presence in these areas. This is done by physically visiting PPs with a higher frequency, as the deployment has moved closer to the LAC and due to improved infrastructure. As the Chinese may not see when the Indian patrols visit these PPs, they will leave come cigarette packets or food tins with Indian markings behind. That lets the Chinese know that Indian soldiers had visited the place, which indicates that India was in control of these areas.

THE QUESTION HERE ARISES WHAT IS THE FRQUENCY AND WHO HAS GIVEN THESE PATROLLING POINTS?

These PPs have been identified by the high-powered China Study Group, starting from 1975 when patrolling limits for Indian forces were specified. It is based on the LAC, after the government accepted the concept in 1993, which is also marked on the maps with the Army in the border areas. The frequency of patrolling on the PPs is finalised by the army headquarters in New Delhi, on the basis of recommendations made by the Army and ITBP.

The frequency of visiting these PPs are mentioned in the annual patrolling programme. The duration of visiting every PPs is based on the terrain and the ground situation and also on the location of the LAC. The visiting duration can differ from once a month to twice a year.