Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari to inaugurate Emergency Landing Field in Rajasthan

Emergency Landing Field (ELF) will be inaugurated at Gandhav Bhakasar section on National Highway-925 in Barmer, Rajasthan, this is the first time that the national highway will be used for emergency landing of IAF aircrafts
Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari to inaugurate Emergency Landing Field in Rajasthan

New Delhi: Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate an Emergency Landing Field (ELF) at Gandhav Bhakasar section on National Highway-925 in Barmer, Rajasthan, on September 9, for Indian Air Force (IAF) planes. According to an official press release from the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has developed this 3-km section of the Satta-Gandhav stretch of NH-925A, as an Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) for the Indian Air Force.

The Ministers will also witness aircraft operations on ELF. This is the first time that the national highway will be used for emergency landing of aircrafts of IAF.

This project has been developed under Bharatmala Pariyojana, having a two-lane paved shoulder of Gagariya – Bakhasar & Satta-Gandhav section with a total length of 196.97 kms at a cost of Rs 765.52 crore. This project will improve connectivity between villages of Barmer & Jalore districts located on the international border. The stretch, being located in the western border area will facilitate the vigilance of the Indian Army as well as strengthen the basic infrastructure of the country.

Apart from this Emergency Landing Strip, 3 helipads (size 100 x 30 metres each) have been constructed in Kundanpura, Singhania & Bakhasar villages in this project according to the requirements of the Air Force and Indian Army, which will be the basis for strengthening the Indian Army and security network on the western international border of the country.

The ELF was constructed in a time span of 19 months. The work for this ELF was commenced in July 2019 and was completed in January 2021. The work was carried out by GHV India Pvt Ltd under the supervision of IAF and NHAI. During normal times the ELF will be used for the smooth flow of road traffic. But during the operations of ELF for Indian Air Force orders, the service road will be used for smooth flow of road traffic. It has been constructed in 3.5 Km length. This landing strip will be able to facilitate the landing of all types of aircraft of the Indian Air Force.

The development of roadways as key infrastructure has led to the construction of high-quality highways and expressways that could be utilized as runways along with some modifications and construction of limited additional infrastructure for the operation of various types of aircraft during emergencies.

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