The fresh satellite images, which have been sourced from Maxar, a satellite imaging service, show a fully constructed bridge at Pangda besides “foundations of six buildings here are visible”, the report said.ĭamien Symon, a geospatial intelligence researcher at The Intel Lab, is quoted to have said that “the speed and development of this remote area are noteworthy, underlining how China is extending its borders uncontested”. Lt Gen Bakshi goes on to say that raising villages along the border that the PLA disputes are “essentially a manner of giving legitimacy to its territorial claims”. Quoting Lieutenant General (retired) Praveen Bakshi, who was the Eastern Army Commander during the Doklam crisis, the NDTV report said, “Pangda village and the ones to its North and South are classic examples of the Chinese trying to establish their legitimacy over the Jhamperi ridge and the Doklam plateau”. Besides, the Jhamperi ridge indicates that the Chinese PLA now seeks to go around Indian army defences by using an alternate route to reach the feature. This ridge, the report indicates, would give an advantage to the PLA in that it would give it a “direct line-of-sight” to the Siliguri corridor or the ‘Chicken’s Neck’ which connects the northeast to the rest of India. At that time, the report said, Indian soldiers had prevented Chinese workers from accessing a strategic ridge – Jhamperi – adjacent to the Doklam plateau. The emergence of Pangda as a fully populated village is a throwback to the 2017 Doklam crisis when Indian and Chinese troops confronted each other for 72 days. For this, necessary mechanisms and safeguards to meet any contingencies are in place”. The NDTV report, quoting army sources, said, that “continuous and seamless vigil” is maintained “on all activities along (India’s) borders, especially those that impinge upon the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation. Also, close to Pangda is an “all-weather carriageway” which enters 10 km into Bhutan and is along the banks of the Amo Chu river. Satellite images show that the village is not only fully inhabited but most of the houses have cars parked in front of them.
This village, which the Chinese have named Pangda, is said to lie “squarely” in Bhutanese territory.
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