Modi Govt To Build Emergency Landing Facility On 19 More Highways Across India

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has said that Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) will be developed at 19 other places to strengthen the country's security.

Inaugurating the emergency landing facility on National Highway 925A in Rajasthan with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, he said this highway runway would further strengthen the country's security in protecting the strategically essential borders.

NHAI had developed the 3-Km section of Satta - Gandhav stretch of NH-925A as an ELF for the Indian Air Force. This ELF is part of the newly developed two-lane paved shoulder of Gagariya-Bakhasar and Satta - Gandhav section having a total length of 196.97 Km and costing Rs 765.52 Crores under Bharatmala Pariyojana.

This project will improve connectivity between villages of Barmer and Jalore districts located on the international border. The stretch is located in the western border area at a distance of 40 km from the Indo-Pakistan border will facilitate the vigilance of the Indian Army and strengthen the basic infrastructure of the country, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said on Wednesday (8 September).

According to the ministry, this is the first time that the National Highway will be used for emergency landing of aircraft of IAF.

Gadkari said ELFs would be developed at 19 other places in the country, including on Phalodi – Jaisalmer road and Barmer – Jaisalmer road in Rajasthan, Kharagpur – Balasore road, Kharagpur – Keonjhar road and near Panagarh in West Bengal, Chennai in Tamil Nadu, on Puducherry road, on Nellore – Ongole road and Ongole – Chilakaluripet road in Andhra Pradesh, on Mandi Dabwali to Odhan road in Haryana, near Sangrur in Punjab, on Bhuj-Naliya road and Surat-Baroda road in Gujarat.

In Jammu and Kashmir, ELF will be developed on the Banihal-Srinagar road and in Leh/Nyoma area. Similarly, such facilities will be built on the Jorhat-Baraghat road, near Sivasagar, Bagdogra-Hasimara road, Hasimara-Tezpur route and Hasimara-Guwahati road in Assam.