India may build airport at Tawang, near China border

[Ashutosh Lokhande]

India to build airport at Tawang, near China border

BEIJING: Minister of state for external affairs V K Singh on Friday said India was hopeful of building an airport in Tawang while the work on another airport at Pashighat in Arunachal Pradesh was underway.

"But there is a problem with land availability there (in Tawang)," Singh, who is also in charge of the northeast affairs, told Indian journalists here.

"The land acquisition problem for the airport in Itanagar, Arunachal's capital, has just been sorted out." Singh added the government is planning airfields in Arunachal Pradesh for smaller aircraft.

Singh said the government plans to create a separate company in collaboration with the Indian Airlines to operate small aircraft in the northeast.

He added new highways are being planned as part of the efforts initiated for major infrastructure development in the region. The railway budget for the region has been increased by 58%.

The visiting Indian minister's statement in Beijing is significant as China claims Arunachal Pradesh as its own.

Singh discussed new measures to examine risks Chinese dams pose in the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra.

Experts claim the dams have made India vulnerable to flash floods and reduced water supply. They say China would now control water flow from the upper reaches.

Singh said the government would commission a study to examine the impact of the dams. "It is essential to re-examine studies done in the past. It is only after through study that the risk posed by Tibetan dams could be determined," he said.

"In the early 1950s, a major earthquake took place and changed the course of Brahmaputra. The river bed also went up. We have to see how much water comes from China, and how much is contributed by its different tributaries like the Lohit."
India may build airport at Tawang, near China border - TOI Mobile | The Times of India Mobile Site



the new airport will also provide some jobs there and would also benifit the tourism industry in huge way :thumb:

 

[Ashutosh Lokhande]

Re: India to build airport at Tawang, near China border

self delete

 

[Ray]

Re: India to build airport at Tawang, near China border

It is a good idea to build airports, ALG in Arunachal.

It will increase the interconnectivity with hinterland India as also would be of import for defence preparedness.

The only issue is that in these NE States, which are flush with Central funds, the corruption quotient is high and none wish to upset the ones making merry in these sensitive States.

 

[dastan]

Re: India to build airport at Tawang, near China border

Why all this talk, can't we just do it silently?

 

[Ray]

Re: India to build airport at Tawang, near China border

Because building airport, roads or any infrastructure cannot be hidden.

There are agents (spies), electronic surveillance, satellites and such like modes where it will be detected.

Therefore being upfront indicates that there is no subterfuge and that it is basically to improve the infrastructure and connectivity, which is a natural desire of any Nation.

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

BEIJING: Minister of state for external affairs V K Singh on Friday said India was hopeful of building an airport in Tawang while the work on another airport at Pashighat in Arunachal Pradesh was underway.

"But there is a problem with land availability there (in Tawang)," Singh, who is also in charge of the northeast affairs, told Indian journalists here.

"The land acquisition problem for the airport in Itanagar, Arunachal's capital, has just been sorted out." Singh added the government is planning airfields in Arunachal Pradesh for smaller aircraft.

Singh said the government plans to create a separate company in collaboration with the Indian Airlines to operate small aircraft in the northeast.

He added new highways are being planned as part of the efforts initiated for major infrastructure development in the region. The railway budget for the region has been increased by 58%.

The visiting Indian minister's statement in Beijing is significant as China claims Arunachal Pradesh as its own.

Singh discussed new measures to examine risks Chinese dams pose in the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra.

Experts claim the dams have made India vulnerable to flash floods and reduced water supply. They say China would now control water flow from the upper reaches.

Singh said the government would commission a study to examine the impact of the dams. "It is essential to re-examine studies done in the past. It is only after through study that the risk posed by Tibetan dams could be determined," he said.

"In the early 1950s, a major earthquake took place and changed the course of Brahmaputra. The river bed also went up. We have to see how much water comes from China, and how much is contributed by its different tributaries like the Lohit."

India may build airport at Tawang, near China border - The Times of India

 

[Ashutosh Lokhande]

already exist

 

[anupamsurey]

modifying or improving the alrea12dy existing airstrips to air ports is a good Idea.

regarding the flood threats and water control of china why dont we build our own check dams, Big dams and canal systems to control the flow of water......this will have great impact on the annual floods and energy scenarios in NE states.

 

[Bhadra]

modifying or improving the alrea12dy existing airstrips to air ports is a good Idea.

regarding the flood threats and water control of china why dont we build our own check dams, Big dams and canal systems to control the flow of water......this will have great impact on the annual floods and energy scenarios in NE states.

But there is no airstrip at Tawang .... Nor space exists to make one. Making airstrip on a 45 degree slope may not be possible.

 

[Ashutosh Lokhande]

Re: India to build airport at Tawang, near China border

@Mods plz merge the thread with other thread created on same topic.

 

[anupamsurey]

I dont know about tawang but there are many unused ww-ii airstrips in Arunachal pradesh and a plan to reuse them was formulated in UPA II. the GOI should go through this and do the needful.

 

[Bhadra]

I dont know about tawang but there are many unused ww-ii airstrips in Arunachal pradesh and a plan to reuse them was formulated in UPA II. the GOI should go through this and do the needful.

That is correct. Arunachal has many ALGs such as Pasighat, Mechuka, Walong, Tuting and Ziro as well as several helipads. Tawang may have a helipad but ALG requires a long flat strip. Looking at the photos and Google of Tawang, constructing an air strip there or nearby may be difficult.

List of airports in Arunachal Pradesh, India @ OurAirports

Airports 1 to 7 of 11 in Arunachal Pradesh, India (excluding heliports and closed airports):

medium airport marker Along Airport IXV

small airport marker Daporijo
small airport marker Machuka Advanced Landing Ground VE67


small airport marker Pasighat Airport IXT


small airport marker Tezu Airport TEI



small airport marker Vijaynagar Advanced Landing Ground VE91


medium airport marker Zero Airport

Walong

Vijaynagar

Tuting

Mechuka

These all are in foothill plains.

 

[Bhadra]

IAF technical team inspects site for construction of ALG

I guessed it

IAF technical team inspects site for construction of ALG | Zee News

Itanagar: A high level technical team from Indian Air Force (IAF) has inspected the site for construction of proposed Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) at Tawang district bordering China.

The IAF team inspected the site at Thrillam village under Lumla sub-division of the district on Friday along with local MLA Jambey Tashi, Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Dev and Brigadier J S Rajpurohit, Commander of the 190 Mountain Brigade, official sources informed on Saturday.

The team comprising Wing Commander P Joseph of Air Force Station Jorhat and Squadron Leader and R Shiva Prasad of Tezpur expressed their satisfaction with the proposed site for the ALG.
They would be submitting their preliminary inspection report to the Air Force authorities at the earliest for taking further necessary action, the sources informed.
Meanwhile, Tashi and Panchayat members of the area requested the state government to take up construction of the ALG as the site was found to be technically suitable.
*********************************


Lumla is below Tawang towards the South Eastern side on Road Tawang _ Zimithang and closer to Bhutan India border. That is good news.

 

[Hari Sud]

Kunal Biswas sir, I found the following details of Indian Army for defence of Indo- China border at another website. I found it interesting.

It has posted by poster under the name SpArK.

How much truth is there in this posting. (Pardon me for copying).


58 Battalions of ITBP (Indo Tibet border force), 12 additional battalions (12000 personnal) for deployment at 54 new border outposts.

Corps


XIV Corps Ladakh-based
III Corps - Rangapahar (Dimapur), Nagaland
IV Corps - Tezpur, Assam
XXXIII Corps - Siliguri, West Bengal
XXI Para (SF) that is being deployed under the Tezpur
The Parachute Regiment has 10 units under it of which eight are Special Forces units while the rest are Para Commando units with capability of launching airborne operations.Seven among them are trained and classified as Special Forces, which are supposed to carry out counter-insurgency operations during peacetime and sabotage enemy installations beyond enemy lines during wars.
Six armoured regiments, equipped with 348 tanks (58 tanks per regiment, including reserves). *
Three mechanised infantry battalions , amounting to about 180 BMP-IIs.(infantry combat vehicles).
Two battalions of the airborne troops with around 1,500 personnel under the elite Parachute Regiment of the Army.
A new mountain "strike" corps with two "independent" infantry brigades and two "independent" armoured brigades, totalling over 80,000 soldiers.It will be called 17 Corps.
A new corps with two specialized high-altitude divisions for "rapid reaction force capability in mountains.
* Armoured divisions

Armoured brigade to cover the flat approaches from Tibet towards India's crucial defences at Chushul, some will be located in the Siliguri corridor in Bengal, covering the approaches from Sikkim to the plains rest will be located on the flat, 17,000-feet-high North Sikkim plateau, on which border areas are hotly disputed between China and India. They have T-90MS Tanks and additional are in order.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sukhoi-30MKI fighters are flying from IAF air bases in Tezpur and Chhabua, with additional air bases coming up in Jorhat, Guwahati, Mohanbari, Bagdogra and Hashimara.
12 squadrons of the anti-aircraft Akash missile will defend north-eastern airspace.
The IAF is modernising eight Advanced Landing Grounds, which would support offensive operations in the sector.
Apaches from US expected to be attack helicopter.
M-MRCA and C-130J (Panagarh in West Bengal) will be added to the sector.
Six mid-air refueling tanker aircraft are planned to be stationed at Panagarh air base in West Bengal.(Ilyushin-78 or European A-330 MRTT)

 

[brational]

This is not the first attempt to consruct an airstrip in Tawang. Previous attempt was in 2009 and rejected by mod due to feasibility issues. The site considered earlier was very near to Tawang town that required to flatten a hilltop for the purpose. The current location is Lumla, which is 40km from Tawang and at a lesser aaltitude. The location is near the tawang bhutan border I.e. southwest of tawang. The only border town in this vicinity is Zemithang which is 50 km from lumla. Bumla is located further north 80 km. It is not a very good locatin for a airstrip. It has a good exposure from chinese side. Lumla has a helipad too.

A stratefic location for a military airstrip would have been Baisakhi or Jung.