Photos posted by a satellite imagery expert on Twitter on Thursday showed that China is constructing multiple villages spread across about 100 square kilometres (over 24,700 acres) area in Bhutan. The area lies in western Bhutan and is close to the Doklam plateau in Sikkim.

The plateau, near the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction, was the site of a 74-day-long standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in 2017.

“Disputed land between Bhutan and China near Doklam shows construction activity between 2020-21, multiple new villages spread through an area roughly 100 km² now dot the landscape, is this part of a new agreement or enforcement of China’s territorial claims?” tweeted a researcher with The Intel Lab.

The Intel Lab is a global organisation that provides intelligence analysis.

Four villages were built between May 2020 and November 2021 and construction work in the area is ongoing, according to NDTV.

During this period, China and Bhutan had signed a memorandum of understanding in October this year on a three-step road map for settlement of the border dispute between them, according to an article published by think tank Observer Research Foundation.

China claims three areas in western Bhutan, including Doklam, three regions in the country’s northern part, and a a large chunk of its eastern region.

While Doklam does not hold any strategic importance for Bhutan, it is significant for India as it gives China a commanding view of the Siliguri Corridor, which is strategically crucial for New Delhi, according to the Observer Research Foundation article.

The Siliguri corridor, proverbially known as the “chicken neck”, is a stretch of about 22 kilometres that connects the northeastern states with the rest of the country through the West Bengal city of Siliguri.

Soon after New Delhi and Beijing agreed to disengage in Doklam, China had started building a military complex that can accommodate its troops and helipads. China also began building a village near Mo Chhu river and a road leading to India from Bhutanese territory.

In January 2018, India had dismissed news reports claiming that Chinese forces were still present in the region and were building a military complex there.

Congress questions PM silence

Meanwhile, Congress questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the purported incursion by the Chinese in Bhutan. At a press conference on Thursday, party spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said that the construction was “a blow to our national security”.

Vallabh asked when will the Modi government respond to China’s “verbal, geographic, military and strategic aggression”.

“Why are we tolerating all-round aggression from China and doing absolutely nothing about it?” he questioned.