Govt. doubles up ₹119-cr NH as airfield for IAF fighters

The government has identified a stretch of the Srinagar-Banihal highway to convert it into an emergency landing strip for fighter jets and has invited proposals from consultants for the project, said sources. The project—the first in Jammu & Kashmir—is among the 13 emergency landing strips planned by the government on highways across the country. The highway landing strip will be 3.5-km long and can be constructed in eight months at a cost of about ₹119 crores. The stretch is part of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway on which explosives laden car rammed into a CRPF convoy killing 40 security personnel. According to sources, in March this year, the government had informed parliament of its intent to set up emergency landing strips on highways in various states, which would be capable of handling all types of aircraft. Bids were invited for seven such projects earlier, and for the proposed Srinagar-Banihal was called on May 30. The last date for submission of bids is July 16. Another site identified in J&K is the highway between Bijbehera and Chinar Bagh, bids for which are still to be called. As per plan, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu will have two emergency landing strips each, while West Bengal, Odisha and Gujarat will have one each and that sites have been jointly identified by the Indian Air Force and NHAI.