Indian Defence Review

Defence Minister of India, Mr AK Antony visited Nathu La in East Sikkim in the first week of December 2007 and was visibly taken aback to see the difference between infrastructure on the Indian and the Chinese sides. Mr Antony termed the visit as an eye opener. He was candid enough to accept that the infrastructure on the Chinese side was far superior and promised to take urgent steps to develop frontier areas. This is despite the fact that Nathu La is far well connected compared to most areas of Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh and North Sikkim.

A look at Arunachal Pradesh, India’s largest frontier state in the North East with international border with Bhutan, China and Myanmar tells the true story. Average road density in Arunachal Pradesh is 18 km per every 100 km against the national average of 85 km. There are four district headquarters which do not have all-weather roads. This is despite the fact that roads are the sole means of communication in the mountainous terrain. Out of 157 administrative centres and 3860 villages, 34 administrative centres and 2453 villages are yet to be connected by road. Railways have a token presence in Arunachal Pradesh. The State till date does not have an airport for its capital. It has one of the poorest health conditions in the country, with life expectancy of 54.05 years being the lowest among major States.

Whereas all countries try to integrate their frontier areas into the heartland through expeditious economic progress and emotional integration, India, on the contrary, took a conscious decision to make frontier areas more “˜frontier

Whereas all countries try to integrate their frontier areas into the heartland through expeditious economic progress and emotional integration, India, on the contrary, took a conscious decision to make frontier areas more ‘frontier’ by deliberate neglect of their development. It was done in the mistaken belief that India’s security concerns would thus get addressed. It is a major failure of India. Even after six decades of gaining Independence, India has not been able to integrate its frontier areas physically and emotionally. There is a sense of neglect and alienation among the local population. The backwardness of these areas becomes more pronounced in view of the advanced stage of development achieved on the other side of the Indo-China border.

Defining Frontier Areas

It is not possible to define frontier areas in absolute terms. Many consider it to be a concept or a discernment that defies specifics. During the early period of settlements and colonisation, the term indicated a region at the edge of a settled area. But now frontier area has broadly come to be accepted as borderland or an area close to an inter-country boundary. It is a way to differentiate between the hinterland and the areas on the fringe. In a way, a frontier area is generally far removed from the heartland and away from the mainstream of a nation. It has come to be identified with lesser development as compared to the centre.

Some of the common characteristics of a frontier area are as follow:-

Reasons for Continued Neglect of Frontier Areas in India

Historical Mindset

Indian history bears testimony to the fact that the Indian rulers have always been concerned with the security of their capitals and centres of power. They took to battle only when the invaders reached the doorsteps of their capitals. Outlying areas could easily be annexed by invaders without even a challenge. Most rulers considered it prudent to fight from their well-stocked forts, leaving their populace at the mercy of an invader. Every battle of Panipat was fought when Delhi got threatened. Otherwise, the rulers at Delhi cared little for the outlying areas.

Indian rulers have always been concerned with the security of their capitals and centres of power. They took to battle only when the invaders reached the doorsteps of their capitals.

Many experts feel that the major reason for non-use of air power (though India was favourably placed) during Indo-China War of 1962 was fear in the minds of the rulers that the use of the air force might escalate the war and bring it closer to the heartland. According to their perception, remote and frontier areas of India were not well worth risking the mainland for. No wonder that only lip sympathy was paid while consigning the North East to its fate – at least the heartland was saved.

Unfortunately, such an attitude pervades even today. Every hostile activity closer to Delhi (like a terror strike) gets immediate reaction. Erstwhile terrorism in Punjab became a cause for immense concern due to proximity to Delhi. On the other hand, problems of areas far removed from the heartland continue to multiply with little concern in the corridors of powers.

Perceived Impregnability of Himalayas

The Himalayas have always been considered as an impregnable natural barrier for the Indian peninsula. No need was ever felt to station troops in strength to defend the region, with the result that the area remained undeveloped with negligible surface communication network. The Government and the military has been of the view that road construction in border areas is “an avoidable security risk”. They feared that road connectivity up to the international border would help an aggressor to develop a line of communication for his advance into the Indian territory during hostilities. Therefore, they took a deliberate decision to create a defensive geographical barrier by keeping the border areas devoid of road communication.

Also read: China: Friend or Foe

It was a highly short sighted and counter productive decision. It was only after the Chinese occupation of Tibet and its subsequent aggressive posturing that a need was felt to construct a few roads to enable induction of troops to the border tracts and facilitate their subsequent maintenance. Indo-Chinese War of 1962 demolished the delusion of impregnability of the Himalayas. The rate of advance of the Chinese came as a surprise to the Indian leadership.

Even after six decades of gaining Independence, India has not been able to integrate its frontier areas physically and emotionally.

Ethnic Diversity

Due to cultural and ethnic diversity, there is a lack of emotional integration. Because of their Mongloid features, North Eastern Indians are often mistaken by some to be foreigners from the East Asian countries. A few years back, a Naga girl studying in a Delhi college went to the Railway Station to book a seat on student concession. The booking clerk curtly told her that only Indian students were eligible for the concession. It hurt her immensely — to be treated as a foreigner in one’s own country is the biggest affront. It will be incorrect to apportion the whole blame to the booking clerk. The failure is of the nation as a whole.

Political Apathy

Frontier areas, by their very nature, are sparsely populated and send very few representatives to the Centre. As they count for little in determining majority, they carry much lower political priority. No main stream party considers it worth the effort to traverse undeveloped areas for the sake of a handful of Parliament seats. Regional parties with highly localised agenda proliferate to occupy the vacant political space.

Such a scenario has two major adverse fall-outs. First, projection of problems faced by the frontier areas at national level remains grossly inadequate. The country remains ignorant of issues confronted by these areas as there is little coverage in main stream media. The Central Government allocates funds annually and steers clear of all other responsibilities. As most of the bureaucrats who rise to occupy top posts at the Centre possess no first hand knowledge of these areas, they find it difficult to relate to them and find an easy way out by ignoring them.

The major reason for non-use of air power (though India was favourably placed) during Indo-China War of 1962 was fear in the minds of the rulers that the use of the air force might escalate the war and bring it closer to the heartland.

Secondly, and worse, local leaders exploit Centre’s lackadaisical attitude to siphon off funds allocated for development. A few families prosper while development suffers. Common man feels disillusioned as there is little visible improvement in infrastructure and his life continues to be a struggle for survival as before.

Ill-Conceived Closed Door Policy

Fearing ingress of elements inimical to national security, the Government, in a highly questionable policy decided to keep the border area out of bounds to foreigners. It was mistakenly feared that opening these areas to outsiders would make them vulnerable to increased influence of hostile forces which want to destabilise the area by fanning anti-Indian sentiment. ‘Inner Line Permit’ scheme has effectively kept these areas isolated.

By not allowing foreigners, India has conveyed a wrong impression to the world, more so as some areas of Arunachal Pradesh are claimed by China. Instead of showcasing the State as an integral part of the country through free movement, India has displayed a distinct lack of confidence and timidity, thereby harming its own case. Additionally, tourism is considered to be one of the most potent catalysts for economic development. By closing border areas to visitors, India not only deprived the area of immense economic benefits but also stalled social and emotional integration with the rest of the country.

Change of Focus of Border Roads Organisation

It is a well accepted fact that no socio-economic development of an area is possible without adequate infrastructure for surface communications. Due to rugged, inaccessible and inhospitable terrain, extension of rail and road network requires enormous effort and resources. With a view to expedite development of surface communication in the remote North and North Eastern Regions of the country, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) was raised on 07 May 1960. Initially, only two projects were raised, one for the North East at Tezpur and the other one at Srinagar. BRO proved its mettle by excelling in areas where no other agency would dare to venture. It has no peers where dedication, commitment and drive are required to undertake challenging assignments.

BROs straying from its designated responsibility has contributed considerably to the continued neglect of the frontier areas. Numerous roads in frontier area are lying incomplete and a large number of critical bridges have got mired in design infirmities.

However, over a period of time certain distortions in role definition of BRO have crept in. Instead of confining itself to its primary task of constructing and maintaining surface communications in frontier areas, it started resorting to ill-advised role expansion. Chief raison d’être for its raising was forgotten and it started masquerading as a regular infra-structure organisation with pan-India responsibility. It soon lost focus on the development of frontier areas and started preferring tasks in the more comfortable environs of the plains. Sadly, this highly committed uniformed force has started functioning as a run of the mill civil construction agency.

While its work in the frontier areas continued to suffer, it started undertaking agency and deposit works for other entities in the heartland. Further, it entered incongruent fields like construction of buildings, airfields and border fencing. Worse, ignoring its total lack of wherewithal of mechanised road construction, it undertook construction of 18 km long expressway between Pathankot and Jammu on NH1A with disastrous results. BRO’s straying from its designated responsibility has contributed considerably to the continued neglect of the frontier areas. Numerous roads in frontier area are lying incomplete and a large number of critical bridges have got mired in design infirmities. The magnitude of the problem can be gauged from the fact that it would take BRO 20 years to clear the backlog of about 36,000 meters of bridging work (mostly in frontier areas).

The Way Forward

As expansion of surface communication is a prerequisite for every developmental initiative, Government’s first priority should be to provide adequate funds to BRO and make it refocus on its primary responsibility. BRO should not be permitted to undertake any other assignment. It could, however, be assigned tasks which further national interests like road construction in Afghanistan and Myanmar, which other construction agencies dread to undertake. A ‘Fast Track’ procedure should be put in place to facilitate expeditious action to deal with extraordinary situations.

Also read: From Kashmir to Mumbai: Terror comes full circle

‘Inner Line Permit’ system should be totally abolished. Nature has bestowed India’s frontier areas with exceptional scenic beauty and varied terrain. Adventure tourism can be developed with minimal investment and considerable returns. Existence of one of world’s twelve hot spots (biosphere reserves) can be used to promote bio-tourism. However, while framing policies, due attention must be paid to ethnic, cultural and physiographical diversity of the areas.

India must admit failure of its past policy. Historical neglect is required to be replaced by concerted and expeditious economic progress. Isolation and deprivation of vast frontier areas do not augur well for national unity and well-being.

As trade and economic development are inter-dependent, cross-border trade with neighbouring countries would help generate economic activities, especially as the area suffers disadvantages of a long transport lead from the heartland and consequent heavy transport costs.

Due to the availability of large tracts of land, congenial climate and unique terrain, frontier areas are ideally suited for academic activities. The Central Government should consider establishment of institutions of excellence to encourage students from the plains to study there. Certain subsidy can be provided in the initial stages. Such an initiative will cost little but offer huge returns. In addition to spurring economic activities, it will promote better understanding and emotional bonding between the local population and other Indians.

It is generally estimated that the frontier areas possess close to 100,000 MW of hydropower potential. When fully exploited, it can provide effective stimulus for local industrial activity. Considerable revenue can be earned by supplying surplus power to the neighbouring States. Similarly, the areas have huge confirmed mineral deposits of crude oil, natural gas, coal, iron, limestone, dolomite, graphite, granite and many precious and semi-precious stones. However, their exploitation depends on the development of surface communication network.

India must admit failure of its past policy. Historical neglect is required to be replaced by concerted and expeditious economic progress. Isolation and deprivation of vast frontier areas do not augur well for national unity and well-being. India’s security interests would be best served by assimilating the frontier areas into the mainstream through extensive infrastructural development and emotional integration.