The Indian border on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has retracted within one kilometer after the agreement between the two armies in the Galvan Valley between India and China. According to a report in the English newspaper Business Standard, the agreement reached on 30 June between senior military commanders of the two armies agreed to monitor the LAC through the Y-Nala junction. It is located within one km of India. The Indian Army has been patrolling the area for decades, where the Patrolling Point-14 (PP-14) is located. But after the consent between military officials, the area now falls within China’s “buffer zone”.
According to the agreement between the military commanders, a buffer zone was to be created at a distance of at least 1.5 km on either side of the LAC. The media report states that under the scheme both countries are allowed to maintain two tent posts in their buffer zone. The forward tent post will be 1.4 kilometers from Y Junction. At the same time, the second tent post will be at a distance of 1.6 kilometers. That is, both posts will be about three kilometers from Y Junction. As per the agreement, both India and China are allowed to retain 30 soldiers in their forward ‘tent post’ and 50 soldiers in the remaining tent post.
The report quoted military sources as saying, “The Y-junction has been effectively considered a LAC point by measuring all distances from the Y-junction rather than the West Traditional LAC alignment of the PP-14.” This means that The Indian Army, which had earlier patrolled until PP-14, has slipped backward by 2.4 kilometers from that point. While the Chinese army can move 400 meters towards PP-14. The report states, “PP- Near 15, China has built a 3-kilometer-long road in an area claimed by the Indian, where more than 1000 Chinese soldiers stand in front of an equal number of Indian soldiers.
On 15 June, there was news of the Chinese army retreating from Petrol Point 14 to 1.5-2 km from the clash on the LAC. Indian soldiers also came back and a buffer zone has been created between the soldiers of both sides. According to sources, the Chinese troops started withdrawing from the turn of the Galvan River and temporary structures and tents were removed from the area. Currently, this process is limited to the Galvan Valley only.
