The first trail run of emergency landing airstrip along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway at Bijbehara area of Anantnag district in south Kashmir is scheduled within the next 24 hours region and security has been tightened in this regard.
An official said that ELF drill is the first such exercise in Jammu and Kashmir and in this drill two sorties of US-manufactured Chinook and the Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters landed on the Wanpoh-Sangam stretch.
“This drill will be held at 2 am on Tuesday and for which all arrangements have been finalised. Security has been also beefed along the Srinagar-Jammu highway and adjacent areas to thwart any potential threat,” he said.
Spanning approximately three and a half kilometers in length and sixty meters in width, the runway’s construction aims to facilitate emergency landings for fighter jets and assist during wartime, floods, and NDRF rescue operations, including air dropping of relief supplies.
PRO (Defence), Srinagar, Lt. Col MK Sahu told Rising Kashmir that he did not have information about the event and will share details after getting confirmation from higher officials.
Meanwhile ahead of the trial drill, authorities have diverted the traffic on the said stretch of the highway through an alternate route. The areas on both sides of the airstrip have been completely sanitized and a tight security guard has been put in place.
ELF highway airstrips enhance the flexibility of air operations during contingencies and are invaluable assets during Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations in far-flung areas.
In 2020, the Indian Air Force (IAF) commenced the construction of a runway adjacent to National Highway 44 in Bijbehara, Anantnag district, South Kashmir, enabling emergency landings for IAF aircraft.
The National Highway Authority of India awarded the construction contract to ‘Fitch Construction’, with an initial deadline of eight months, later extended.
