Army's capabilities have grown 'exponentially' since Kargil War: Lt Gen Hooda

Drass: Army on Sunday said its capabilities have grown “exponentially” since the Kargil war and the force was confident of dealing with any kind of situation on the borders with Pakistan and China. “We are fully confident on both the borders. There used to be only a brigade before the Kargil war. Now there is a full division. “Readiness has improved many manifold and similarly, with the counter-terrorism grid, measures have been put in place and so along the LAC with China, the capabilities have grown exponentially,” Northern Army Commander Lt General D S Hooda told reporters after laying a wreath at the Kargil War Memorial in Drass. [caption id=“attachment_2291276” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] “So, I just want to tell everyone, tell the nation, please be confident. We are there on the borders and our capability exists to do well,” he said. The army commander said there was a difference in perception with regard to the border with China, but both the sides understand that the border needs to be kept calm and peaceful. “There are some areas where there is a difference in perception of Line of Actual Control (LAC). It is not that there are differences all along the LAC, but there are few areas where there are problems. He said both the sides undertake patrolling up to their perception of LAC. “So, just as we look at Chinese action as transgression, they look at our actions as transgression. But the overall sense is that there needs to be peace and calm on the border,” he said. The army commander said there is regular engagement with the Chinese army and the kind of tension that takes place on the LoC is not there at the LAC. “Border meetings take place very regularly and therefore you will find that in this area, the kind of tensions that take place on LoC are not there. “I mean we have had incidents that like in Dipsang in 2013 and 2014 but there is an understanding on both sides that we need to keep the border calm. Both the sides understand that there are limits which they do not cross,” he said. Lt Gen Hooda said the army has taken action to counter infiltration and was considering replacing the existing fence with a hi-tech one. “This year there have been seven to eight infiltration bids. Traditionally, when the snow starts melting, the infiltration starts. In the next three-four months, you will find an increase in infiltration attempts. “We have taken actions. This year we have actually increased deployment along the borders. More troops have gone up. We are looking at a hi-tech fence to replace the existing fence, so more surveillance measures are being taken. I think we are confident about dealing with this,” he said. PTI