Emergency air strip construction begins in Kashmir amid India-China stand-off
| Date :05-Jun-2020 |
(left) A file photo of a Pangong Lake in Ladakh, the bone of contention between India and China. (ANI)
(right) Army chief General M M Naravane (L) with GoC of 14 Corps Lt Gen Harinder Singh, during a recent visit to Ladakh.
SRINAGAR :
AMID the stand-off between Indian and Chinese armies in Ladakh, work has started for the construction of an emergency airstrip in Kashmir. Men and machinery is at work at Bijbehara in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district for constructing an emergency airstrip next to the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. The construction work for the 3.5 km airstrip has come at a time when Indian and Chinese armies are facing a stand-off at some points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.
Officials, however, said that this is an old project and there is no link between the two. “The work is for emergency landing, in case the situation turns bad in Srinagar, flights can land and take-off from here. The total stretch is 3.5 km, and we have to complete the work in eight months,” said Pravin, a survey engineer. The go ahead for the project had come many months back, but got stalled due to winter and coronavirus pandemic. The effort is on to complete the work before snow falls. “
A hundred to 150 people have got work, we will complete the work in 7-8 months. All of us, Kashmiris and men from Haryana, are doing the work, so there is no problem. The work is going on well,” said Shiva, a grid operator at the site.