Ghaziabad: As India sent nearly 40 tonnes of humanitarian supplies, medicines and food packets to flood-ravaged Nepal from the Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad, Indian Air Force officers who are overseeing the delivery said the force and the airbase are “ever ready” to undertake such relief operations.
A day before, India dispatched 10 tonnes of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) materials and essential medicines to Nepal in the wake of devastating flash floods in the Himalayan nation.
Speaking to IANS, AOC Hindon Airforce Station, Air Commodore Rajiv Dobhal said: “We are ever ready for such tasks. We have already been mandated for that, and we all have the experience also. We have done it a number of times before this, not only in Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and even in Venezuela. So, we are ever ready for such tasks. As soon as we got the information, we started our work.”
Chief Operating Officer, Group Captain Jai Ganesh added: “I would like to think of Hindon as the tip of the spear when it comes to HADR operations. So, when the flood struck Nepal, we got the information yesterday afternoon that there would be flood relief which would need to be airlifted from our base. We are generally ready for such contingencies, and we are well prepared, and the ecosystem of Hindon is developed in a way that we handle such contingencies very effectively. So, when we got the information in the afternoon, we kept the C-130s and C-17 aircraft on standby.”
“As a first responder, the C-130 took off (with the aid) around 8.30 p.m. yesterday,” he said
Meanwhile, the aircraft’s commander, Wing Commander Lagnajeet Nayak, about the second dispatch, said: “Yesterday we received the mission (information) for the Nepal HADR. In the night we received the NDRF load and the medical supplies…It will take around 1 hour 15 minutes to reach Nepal. We are carrying approximately 35 to 40 tonnes of load, and it includes medical relief load, dignity kit and other essential supplies for Nepal.”
Since Nepal is witnessing low clouds and considering the civil traffic and other parameters, the aircraft is carrying enough fuel, “so that if we are unable to land in the first go, we can hold in the air for around one to one and a half hours”, he said.
“But in case the delay is uncertain or gets prolonged, we have adequate diversions in India. We have demarcated two bases where we can divert, refuel and proceed to Nepal whenever they give clearance,” he added.
Wing Commander Nayak mentioned that the aircraft is carrying load according to what can be handled by the Kathmandu airport.
“The capacity of the aircraft is 70 tonnes, but we are carrying 40 tonnes so that we can turn around within three to four hours and vacate the Kathmandu airfield,” he mentioned.
(IANS)
