From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has the capability to assess the extent of flood-damage in flood-ravaged Assam by deploying its hi-tech fleet of flying machines equipped with very powerful cameras in case the State Government of Assam asks for it.
Air Commodore P E Patange of the Eastern Air Command headquartered in Shillong, informed here on Thursday that IAF had been doing its best to help Assam government in rescue and relief operation in the flood-affected areas for the past 20 days or so evacuating marooned people and dropping relief materials including food packets.
He said IAF had evacuated over 400 marooned people across Assam in the past 20 days as relief helicopters and transport planes are on round-the-clock standby. The IAF also airlifted dozens of tons of relief material for air dropping among flood-hit at places as marked by concerned district administrations. The IAF’s disaster management cell is on high alert at the Eastern Command headquarters in Shillong while similar cells have also been formed at various places in Assam, the official said.
“In a mercy mission a total 185 flood-hit persons stranded in a fast disappearing island were airlifted by IAF by flying a total seven sorties,” the official said.
It was the IAF that engaged its AN-32 aircraft to airlift total 140 personnel and about nine tons of relief materials of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) from Kolkata to Jorhat and Guwahati for deployment in flood-hit areas of Assam.
The IAF has currently put two Mi-17 choppers on standby at Mohanbari in Dibrugarh, besides two Chetaks in Tezpur and one Mi-17 in Guwahati.
In addition, two AN-32 transport planes are stationed at Jorhat for flood-relief operations.
“Assam government had put us on alert in June 21 about requirement of our emergency service for flood relief operation. We are still maintaining the alert,” Patange said. The IAF also dropped food packets and organised medical camps.
The official said that such relief and rescue operation by the IAF personnel at the time of disaster would get a boost with the induction of three squadrons of the advanced Mi-17 V5 choppers equipped with night vision technology and advanced avionics.
The official said that one squadron (10 choppers) each, has been set up at Bagdogra and Barrackpore and one more was being based at Purnea.
