China building bridge over Pangong Tso

New Delhi: China's People's Liberation Army(PLA) is building a bridge across the Pangong Tso on its territory in Khurnak, the narrowest part of the lake.

Sources in the defence and security establishment said the bridge is being built with pre-fabricated structures to counter any August 2020 like operation of the Indian Army in future, which led to the capture of dominating heights in the southern banks of Pangong Tso.

The bridge, which is under construction, will cut down a 180-km loop from Khurnak to the south banks through Rudok, sources said. This would mean that the route from Khurnak to Rudok will be 40-50 kms and not nearly 200 kms earlier, they added.

The 135-km long Pangong Tso, a landlocked lake that is partly in the Ladakh region and partly in Tibet, has seen tensions between India and China since May 2020.

The PLA has also initiated the process to build a road to and from the bridge and will add to a new route for faster deployment of soldiers and material, the sources explained.