New Delhi: India has formally standardised the names of 27 locations and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh, adding them to official Survey of India maps in a move that reinforces New Delhi’s position over the northeastern state amid its long-running territorial dispute with China.
The locations identified by the government include 21 land areas, four mountain passes, one lake and one monument/memorial. The exercise was undertaken in consultation with the Arunachal Pradesh government and is intended to ensure the locations are accurately recognised in official Indian mapping records.
India Responds to China’s Renaming Campaign
The move comes against the backdrop of China’s repeated attempts to assign its own names to places in Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as part of its territory and refers to as “Zangnan” or southern Tibet.
India has consistently rejected China’s territorial claims, maintaining that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inseparable part of India.
The latest standardisation therefore carries significance beyond cartography, reinforcing India’s position through its official geographical records.
27 Locations Added to Official Maps
The newly standardised list covers a range of geographical features along and near the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The inclusion of four mountain passes, a high-altitude lake and a memorial, alongside 21 land areas, gives the exercise both geographical and strategic significance. Two of the locations are reportedly memorials associated with Indian soldiers from the 1962 India-China war.
Survey of India Maps to Reflect Standard Names
The names have been incorporated into official Survey of India mapping, allowing the locations to be consistently represented in India’s official cartographic records.
The government says the exercise will facilitate the accurate identification and recognition of these places and improve public awareness about their official names.
Part of a Wider Border Assertion
The development comes amid continuing tensions between India and China over their disputed boundary and the LAC.
While the naming exercise does not alter the ground position of the boundary, it represents another step in India’s effort to assert its territorial and administrative position through official records.
China has previously criticised India’s moves involving Arunachal Pradesh, while New Delhi has repeatedly rejected Beijing’s claims and said that assigning names to places in the Indian state does not change the reality on the ground.
Message From New Delhi
The latest move sends a clear message that India will continue to use its own official geographical and administrative nomenclature for territories it considers sovereign Indian territory.
With the 27 locations now standardised on Survey of India maps, New Delhi has once again reinforced its position that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India, while rejecting China’s attempts to alter the region’s nomenclature.