CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: The Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) at Ziro has the potential to be a bigger and role model ALG in the state if the required parameters are met, said Air Officer Commanding of Eastern Air Command Air Marshal Balakrishnan Manikantan.
In course of his maiden visit to the ALG on Thursday, the Air Marshal had a round of discussion with the district administration on the various issues affecting the 2016 constructed ALG and the hindrances from making Ziro ALG one of the most coveted in the state.
Among others, the issues of a few high-rise buildings coming up near the ALG, boundary issues and the extension of the runway were some of the key issues discussed during the meeting.
The visiting Air Marshal requested the district administration to explore the possibility of extension of the present runway with suitable compensation to the affected landowners.
While according to a warm welcome to the visiting Air Marshal, Lower Subansiri DC Bamin Nime urged him to facilitate holding an 'orientation course' for the prospective educated unemployed tribal candidates of the district to be recruited in various technical and non-technical posts at the Indian Air Force.
"Similar to Army Brigade headquarters of West Kameng and Tawang providing free coaching to tribal students for entry to Sainik Schools and later to NDA, the Indian Air Force should also facilitate and provide free orientation courses to our educated unemployed youth to be able to face the interview and get recruited at the Indian Air Force", requested Nime, to which the Air Marshal agreed in principle.
The DC was also accompanied by SP Sachin Singhal, DMO Dr Tage Kanno, ALG constructing agency headed by EE PWD Likha Togu and ALG nodal officer and DFCSO Hage Tath.
It may be mentioned here that the present runway of the ALG is 1.3 km which is feasible for a small aircraft like Dornier to land. 'The required runway for a bigger 50-seater ATR aircraft is 1.5 km. Hence, Ziro ALG needs another 200 metres of land at the northern side for a bigger and more comfortable ATR aircraft to land', informed Wing Commander (Retd) Gyati Kago, while adding that for a bigger and better Civil Terminal, another 2.5 acres of land was also required.
Informing the differences between small 16-seater Dornier and 50-seater ATR aircraft, Kago informed that Dornier aircraft cannot fly above 12,000 feet, do not have instrument landing facility and are devoid of comforts normally associated with a passenger plane including the toilet.
On the other hand, the 50-seater ATR aircraft has all the latest facilities, instruments and comfort which would best suit Ziro if additional land is made available for extension of the present runway, explained Kago.
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