Home Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Sino-Indian border area in Uttarakhand

Home Minister Rajnath Singh is set to visit a Sino-Indian border area in Uttarakhand which has witnessed transgression by China, officials said. During the tour to Barahoti, the home minister will interact with the personnel of the Indo Tibetan Border Police which guards the border outpost located at 14,311 feet.

This is the first visit by a senior minister in theNarendra Modi government to China border after the resolutionof the stand-off in Dokalam.

Singh will also visit ITBP border outposts at Rimkhim (altitude 12,500 feet), Mana (10,500 feet) and Auli (10,200feet) during the four-day trip beginning September 28.

There were reports that on July 25, Chinese soldiers had entered 800 meters into Indian territory in Barahoti, Uttarakhand and stayed for sometime before returning to their own territory.

The home minister will also address the probationers of the IAS, IPS and other services at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie. Further, he will interact with central government's additional secretary rank officials there on the first day of the visit.

The home minister is expected to review the situation on the border, address a 'Sainik Sammelan' and assess the progress in various infrastructure projects, an official said.

The 3,488 km-long India-China border stretches through J&K (1,597 km), Himachal Pradesh (200 km), Uttarakhand (345 km), Sikkim (220 km) and Arunachal Pradesh(1,126 km).

India and China were in a face-off situation for more than two months in Dokalam in Sikkim sector after Indians stopped the construction of a road by China's army.

The Sino-Indian border is not fully demarcated and theprocess of clarifying and confirming the Line of ActualControl is in progress. The area is characterised by high-altitude terrain and thick habitation which have resulted in inadequate developmentof infrastructure in these regions.

To redress the situation arising out of lack of infrastructure along border with China, the government has decided to undertake construction of 73 roads of operational significance.

Of these, 27 roads involving 804.93 km are being constructed by the home ministry in J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh atan estimated cost of Rs 1,937 crore. 

With PTI inputs