New Delhi: In a firm countermeasure against China's repeated attempts to rename geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh, India on Friday formally designated 27 places and sites within the state using their official names on the national map.

An official statement released regarding the update noted, “Identifying them formally on the Survey of India map of Arunachal Pradesh is aimed at facilitating their accurate recognition and better awareness among the public at large.”

New Delhi has routinely dismissed Beijing's practice of renaming locations across Arunachal Pradesh, a region China claims as “Zangnan”. India has consistently labeled these unilateral moves as “vain and preposterous”, reiterating that such acts cannot modify the “undeniable” reality that the state “was, is, and will” remain an intrinsic component of India.

Among the 27 prominently identified locations on the official Survey of India map is Long Ju, situated near the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Long Ju served as one of the initial military flashpoints between Indian and Chinese troops back in 1959. Maja, an adjacent village in the Upper Subansiri district, has similarly been marked.

The official list incorporates strategic high-altitude mountain passes such as Dzo La, Riza La, Pukur La and Thag La, the latter being the site of initial clashes during the 1962 Sino-Indian War. Bisa village and Jairampur, a vital logistics hub in the Changlang district acting as a gateway for troop movements toward eastern Arunachal and the Myanmar border, are also formally mapped.

Other prominent geographic and civil sites added to the official map include 

Water bodies: Sambho Sarovar (a high-altitude lake), Bara Kundun, and Chhota Kundun in Eastern Arunachal Pradesh.

Key settlements and villages: Dhan Bari, Pritnagar, Teritnagar, Ramnagar, Sagar, Padma, Jyotinagar, Baisakhi, Shivaji Nagar, Sunpura and Kamlang Nagar (located adjacent to the Kamlang Sanctuary).

Historical and military memorials: Jaswant Garh along Tawang Road, which honours the 1962 war martyr Jaswant Singh Rawat, and the Sher-e-Thapa Memorial, dedicated to 1962 war hero Trilok Singh Thapa.

Localities and landmarks: Chhota Ropuk, Bara Ropuk and Buddhamandir.

Indian diplomacy has continually rejected Beijing's push to assign "fictitious names" to territories under Indian sovereignty. New Delhi maintains that creating “baseless narratives” will not change ground realities and risks undermining ongoing efforts to stabilize bilateral relations.

Beijing's Civil Affairs Ministry previously published lists releasing standardised Chinese designations for Arunachal locations, six in 2017, 15 in 2021 and 11 in 2023. India's official mapping update serves as a direct, cartographic affirmation of its sovereign borders.

 

PTI