Two years after India and China completed military disengagement from the last disputed friction points along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, our correspondent travelled to the border region to document what has — and what has not — changed on the ground.
The villages of Demchok and Depsang, which spent four years behind military buffer zones, are now accessible to civilians again. New roads, solar microgrids, and 4G towers have arrived alongside the soldiers.
What the People Say
Farmer Stanzin Dorje in Depsang told us: “The army never left. But now traders from the other side can come to the border market again. Business is slowly coming back.” Military sources say both sides have maintained the disengagement agreement with only minor procedural violations.