Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman: China built helipads in Doklam

New Delhi, March 05: China has built helipads, trenches and other infrastructure in Doklam to maintain its troops during winters, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Monday.

Asked if it is a fact that China has constructed seven helipads in Doklam and tanks and missiles have been stationed there, Sitharaman, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha said that the troops on both sides have "redeployed themselves away from their stand-off positions" but the troop strengths on both sides have gone down.

"In order to maintain these troops during the winter, the People Liberation Army (PLA) has undertaken construction of some infrastructure, including sentry posts, trenches and helipads," Sitharaman said.