Leh (Ladakh) [India], November 14 : Chief Engineer of Project Himank, Brigadier Vishal Srivastava has said that the country's highest airfield located at Mudh-Nyoma in Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China will be completed by year end.
Speaking to ANI, Brigadier Srivastava said that the airfield has been constructed at a height of 13,700 feet.
"We are standing at the airfield at Mud Nyoma and as far as the runway is concerned it is almost complete. Final finishing touches are going on and very shortly we will have a joint inspection with the Air Force. We are hopeful that by this year's end, the entire Runway will be complete and we'll have a trial landing on it...The airfield has been constructed at a height of 13,700 feet. On this runway, the heaviest military aircraft, fixed wing, rotary wing, fighter aircraft and transport aircraft will be able to land here. This will help us a lot," he said.
He also mentioned that the construction of the runway will also boost the socio-economic development of Hanley, Loma and Nyoma.
"Here the temperatures dip down to minus 30 to minus 35 degrees centigrade during peak winters. So the working season window that is available to us is just a period of five to six odd months from May till November," he said.
The Brigadier also recalled that this particular Runway, the foundation stone was laid by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on August 23.
"We have constructed this Runway in a record time frame. This will be the highest Runway in India...We have used modern technology, modern machines, cold setting compounds, various kinds of additives to ensure that quality construction is carried out and quality is not compromised because of speed," Brigadier Srivastava said.
Recently, India and China reached the agreement for disengagement from Depsang and Demchok in Eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control after multiple rounds of talks at political, diplomatic and military levels.