Hot springs and Gogra

Why in news?

• Despite several round of negotiations, Chinese army has Refused to Leave Hot Springs and Gogra.

About these places:

• During the May 2020 India China standoff, PP15 and PP17A were two of the four points where the soldiers were eyeball-to-eyeball.
• PP15 and PP17A are two of the 65 patrolling points in Ladakh along the LAC. 
• PP15 is located in an area known as the Hot Springs, while PP17A is near an area called the Gogra post.
• Both of these are close to the Chang Chenmo river in the Galwan sub-sector of the LAC in eastern Ladakh.
• The area is north of the Karakoram Range of mountains, which lies north of the Pangong Tso lake, and south east of Galwan Valley.

What is the importance of this region?

• The area lies close to Kongka Pass, one of the main passes, which, according to China marks the boundary between India and China.
• India’s claim of the international boundary lies significantly east, as it includes the entire Aksai Chin area as well.
• For China area north of Kongka Pass is the boundary between Sinkiang (now Xinjiang) and Ladakh, and the area south of it is that between Tibet and Ladakh.
• Thus, Hot Springs and Gogra Post are close to the boundary between two of the most historically disturbed provinces of China.

Prelims Question

Hot springs and Gogra are two areas recently in news. They are located in:
(a)Sikkim
(b)Ladakh
(c)Arunachal Pradesh
(d)Nagaland
 

Answer to the Prelims Question