Sources in the security establishment said while the road construction by China that was the point of contention has stopped for the time being, Chinese troops have been constantly on the prowl in the area.
Increasing presence of Chinese troops close to the point of a prolonged standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam is being closely monitored by the Indian security establishment, more than a month after forces agreed to withdraw.
Air Force Chief BS Dhanoa confirmed the existence of Chinese troops in the region on Thursday. "Their forces are still deployed in Chumbi Valley. We expect them to withdraw, and are confident that that a solution will be found at a political and a diplomatic level," Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa said.
Sources in the security establishment said while the road construction by China that was the point of contention has stopped for the time being, Chinese troops have been constantly on the prowl in the area.
In fact, there are also reports of road expansion in nearby zones of Doklam in the Sikkim sector. "We cannot stop them from patrolling. It's not our territory. Our stand was that road construction must stop," said a senior government official.
The standoff that was resolved in August was triggered after Indian troops stopped Chinese road construction in Doklam, a disputed region between China and Bhutan. It was felt that road connectivity would give China direct access to the Siliguri corridor, and the strategic advantage had to be stopped.
Dhanoa also confirmed the presence of Chinese Air Force in Tibet during the 74-day standoff, but added that it was part of a usual exercise that they conduct there during summers.
"Their two airfields in Tibet were full as they always are during the exercise in summer," Dhanoa said when asked about the presence of the Chinese Air Force in the area during the standoff.
In the wake of the current situation, the enhanced troop deployment along the China border to increase the Army's readiness under the "operational alert" is still continuing.
Referring to China, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat while speaking at a seminar last month said "flexing of muscles has started... and salami slicing will gradually turn to taking over territory testing our limits of threshold..." "Situation could gradually emerge into a conflict," he had said.
Amid two-front war threats with China and Pakistan, also spoken about by the Army Chief, the Air Force is looking at enhancing its fighter jet fleet that is currently short of the required numbers.
Sending a warning to Pakistan, Dhanoa also said that Indian Air Force has the capability to locate targets, including nuclear installations in the country.
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