New Delhi, Oct.
14: As China lodged its customary protest over the recent visit of the Vice-president, Mr.
Venkaiah Naidu, to Arunachal Pradesh, India has given a befitting reply to Beijing both in words and deed.
While a spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs minced no words in telling Beijing not to comment on the visit of Indian leaders to Arunachal Pradesh, the Defence Ministry achieved another milestone by bolstering its defence on the Sino-Indian border by blasting the main tube of the Sela Tunnel yesterday.
India had neglected infrastructure development on its northern border for decades.
After Mr Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, the development of the border States, especially those contiguous with China and Pakistan were accorded top priority.
The Defence Minister, Mr.
Rajnath Singh, who virtually presided over an event to mark the formal breakthrough blast of the main tube of the Sela tunnel yesterday said that the completion of the strategically located tunnel in the East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh would play a crucial role in the socio-economic development of the region.
Perched at an altitude of 13,800 ft., Sela pass on the 317 km-long Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) road that connects West Kameng, East Kameng and Tawang districts of Arunachal Pradesh to the rest of the country.
It reduces travel time and provides all-weather connectivity to Tawang.
Mr.