Meeting parliamentary panel, Ladakh villagers raise denial of access to grazing grounds after 2020 border clash with China

Published 15 July 2026 · politics

Residents of villages along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh told a parliamentary panel visiting the Union Territory that they had lost access

Residents of villages along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh told a parliamentary panel visiting the Union Territory that they had lost access to their traditional grazing grounds following the border tensions with China in 2020. The 15-member delegation, representing the border villages of Maan Pangong A and B, Leh, Ladakh, requested that nomadic pastoralists be permitted controlled access to India’s traditional grazing lands in coordination with security agencies, emphasising that the continued presence of local communities in these frontier regions contributes significantly to national security, Konchok Stanzin, former councillor, Chushul, said. “The nomads of the border villages depend on these grazing grounds to rear their livestock. Whenever they go there, the Army stops them. We are not even allowed to bring loose earth from these no-go zones to build our huts, and collecting firewood is also not permitted.

Before May 2020, we had free access to these areas,” Mr. Stanzin, who briefed the parliamentary panel, told The Hindu. Since April 2020, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has amassed a large number of troops and armaments in eastern Ladakh and other areas along the 3,488 km LAC. The PLA moved into Indian territory and built fortified structures and defences in an attempt to permanently alter the status quo on the ground. While there are differences in perception on the alignment of the LAC, over the years, both sides have concluded a series of agreements to maintain peace on the border, and a moratorium on patrolling was implemented following the June 15, 2020, violent clashes at Galwan, where 20 Indian soldiers were killed. Before this, on May 5, 2020, clashes erupted on the north bank of the Pangong Tso, in which over 70 Indian soldiers were injured.

Before April-May 2020, Indian troops regularly patrolled the area that is said to be within India’s perception of the LAC. Till 2023, there were at least 26 patrolling points out of 65 patrolling points in Eastern Ladakh that had not being patrolled by Indian troops since April-May 2020. The parliamentary panel has assured that it would look into their issues, Mr. Stazin said. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Tourism, Transport and Culture is led by Janata Dal-United (JD-U) member Sanjay Jha. In a memorandum, the delegation highlighted the invaluable contribution of border residents, who have consistently served as the nation’s second line of defence by supporting the Indian Armed Forces during the wars of 1962, 1971 and 1999, as well as during the India-China border standoff in 2020. The delegation requested that the sacrifices and patriotism of border communities be officially recognised and reflected in national and regional war memorials.