Military veterans have questioned the army’s eight-month delay in ordering high-speed boats for surveillance and patrolling of the Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh, after the Chinese had established control over two-thirds of the lake.

On Friday, the army said it had signed a contract with Goa Shipyard Ltd for 12 fast boats that would be deployed in large water bodies in Ladakh’s high-altitude areas, including the Pangong Lake.

“What was the army doing over the past eight months when the Chinese were rushing in additional high-speed boats to the Pangong Lake to strengthen their position?” a retired lieutenant general said.

“They have been controlling the heights since May last year and patrolling aggressively in the lake. Ordering high-speed boats eight months after the start of the standoff shows our (lack of) intent. The army brass seem not to have learnt any lessons even after losing territory in Ladakh.”

The veteran said the 12 high-speed boats would take another five to six months to be delivered. Army sources said delivery of the 12 indigenously made boats was expected by May-June.

Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a bitter standoff since early May at several points in Ladakh. The Chinese have dug themselves in almost 8km inside India-claimed lines on the northern bank of the Pangong Lake, which is nearly 140km long and 7-8km wide.

A retired colonel said the army should have bought these high-speed boats right when the standoff began. “What were they waiting for so long?” he asked.

Another veteran said it was “shocking that we have woken up only now” after the Chinese had occupied the Finger 4 ridgeline and were controlling the heights by deploying men and machines.

“They are said to have fortified their bunkers on the lake’s shores and built several posts and observation towers,” he said.

“It’s shocking that we have woken up only now and placed orders for high-speed boats.”

The border standoff had begun at the lake with a fists-and-stones clash between the two armies on May 5. This was followed by a violent face-off on June 15 at Patrolling Point 14 in the Galwan Valley, which killed 20 Indian soldiers and caused an unspecified number of Chinese casualties.