Demchok is the first village the river Indus encounters on its entry into India from Tibet. The small village, which lies some 330 kilometres from the town of Leh, has the Line of Actual Control (LAC) passing through it. With the Chinese side christened Dêmqog, the village was part of the old trade route from Tibet. It also has the honour of being the last inhabited area on the Line of Actual Control.

“Demchok is right on border which is our last post. People of this village were building a road under the NREGS scheme. There is a nala coming down from the mountains. The western side of the nala is our territory and the eastern is the Tibetan border. On the other side (Chinese) have already built a road along this nala upstream. On our side villagers were building a road. They had completed four kilometers and suddenly the Chinese came from the other side and stopped the work. So now the road is incomplete,” said Chering Dorjay, Chief Executive Councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council from Leh. He also confirmed that work on the road began after a demand from the local population for a link. “We have a hot spring on our side where we have started a hydro-therapy centre. Villagers had been demanding a road ahead, all on our side,” he added.

The J&K Rural Development Minister, Ali Mohammad Sagar, said that the construction has been halted until a report is given to the government. According to official sources, Leh Deputy Commissioner Ajit Kumar Sahu has visited the area and is said to have submitted a report to the government with regard to the stoppage of work. It is interesting to note here that the Chinese have a similar road on their side of the border. And India has never objected to the construction or even the presence of the road. The Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh while on a visit to the US said that India has taken note of the “assertiveness” by the Chinese.

Dorjee told the media that the road was being constructed well within the Indian border limits. He said that the issue would be brought up at the next flag meeting at the border. Ladakh is the largest district in India with a low density population. Most of the villages are placed far apart. The cold desert experiences severe winters and the people have little source of income except what they earn through farming or tourism related activities. Employing labour for the construction of roads is one way to boost the income of these people. The project was started with this very aim.

India has been involved in military development of Eastern Kashmir in the past few years. A few years ago, Daulat Beg Oldi and Fuk Che airfields in Ladakh were put into operation and efforts are on to get the Nyoma Advanced Landing Field into operation. Each of these Indian Air Force bases is located close to the LAC. The military buildup on both sides of the border is underway although government officials have ruled out chances of a war in the near future.