Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has identified two stretches of national highway measuring 10 km for emergency landing facilities of aircraft, as per the direction of the Indian government. One stretch is near Nagaon in Middle Assam, and the other is in Lower Assam, near Nalbari.
Currently, work is going on for an emergency landing facility (ELF) on a stretch of the NH between the end of the Moran Bypass and the Bogibeel junction in Dibrugarh district.
The central government has also asked NHAI to identify more such stretches where ELFs are feasible in the state. As per the direction, a five-kilometre stretch from Nilbagan to Shankar Nagar on the Nagaon-Lumding section of NH 27 (old NH 54) has been chosen as an ideal ELF. The stretch of NH is currently a four-lane one, but if the proposal for ELF is finalised, the stretch will be converted to a six-lane one. A feasibility study on the stretch was done by Almondz Global Infra Consultant Limited and Thoughts Consultants Pvt Ltd in a joint venture model.
The second stretch of five km, from Patacharkuchi to Barama in the Nalbari to Bijni section of NH 27 (old NH 31), is a four-lane stretch, and it will be converted to a six-lane one if the government of India decides to allow ELF on this stretch. A feasibility study on the stretch was also done by Almondz Global Infra Consultant Limited-Thoughts Consultants Pvt Ltd in joint venture mode.
Earlier, the central government's Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) had proposed setting up two ELF in the state of Assam, considering the geopolitical importance in relation to Arunachal Pradesh.
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. IAF and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) are working jointly for the creation of ELF stretches at suitable locations, and Assam is one of the states where they have been planned.
Also read: Two more Emergency Landing Facility strips proposed in Assam (sentinelassam.com)
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