Chinese bunkers at Lhasa airport |
China`s construction of underground bomb-proof shelters to house fighters at Lhasa`s Gonggar airport in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) has New Delhi concerned, said three officials familiar with the development who asked not to be identified. Gonggar airport is just 1,350 km away from New Delhi. The three officials, all in the security establishment, claimed the airfield earlier meant to boost “regional connectivity” is being turned into a military airbase. One of the officials said a “taxi track” from the airstrip leads to blast- or bomb-proof hangers dug deep inside the mountains nearby. The facility, according to the three officials, can hold around three squadrons of fighters or about 36 aircraft. .Relations between India and China have warmed in recent months. PM Narendra Modi visited Wuhan for an informal summit with Chinese president Xi Jinping where the two leaders committed to bettering ties. The rapprochement came after the Doklam crisis last year, where troops of both countries were engaged in an extended stand-off. Despite this, though, the security establishments have kept a close eye o n each other`s capabilities. “You need blast- or bomb-proof hangers for fighters only if there is a possibility of hostilities.
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