Amid the promotion of Lakshadweep islands for tourism, the Centre plans to develop a new airfield at the Minicoy Islands there that would be capable of operating military aircraft, including fighter jets, along with commercial ones.
“The plan is to have a joint airfield that would be capable of operating fighter jets, military transport planes and commercial aircraft,” government sources told ANI.
According to government sources, the length of the runway would be around 2,500 meters and it would be a dual purpose airport. Apart from the Navy, Coastguard and Indian Air Force, civil aviation companies would also use this base. It will be a major refuelling centre for ships from the SouthEast Asia or Europe and also a hub commercial shipping. There are also plans to construct many five-star resorts. This would be a major tourist attraction like Bangaram. With Minicoy close to the Maldives, it will be a major challenger.
Recently, I had the opportunity to be among the people of Lakshadweep. I am still in awe of the stunning beauty of its islands and the incredible warmth of its people. I had the opportunity to interact with people in Agatti, Bangaram and Kavaratti. I thank the people of the… pic.twitter.com/tYW5Cvgi8N— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 4, 2024
The island territory has been the centre of discussion and attraction since the visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi there last week. Politicians in the Maldives’ ruling party have been trying to criticise the Indian plans to promote Lakshadweep as a tourist attraction and have tweeted against India, leading to a diplomatic row.
PM MODI’s FIRST LAKSHADWEEP VISIT IN 2017
Minicoy is very close to shipping channel number 9, one of the busiest sea routes of the world, and daily around 300 ships pass through this channel.
PM had visited the Minicoy islands in 2017, to take stock of the damages during the cyclone. He had visited the Lakshadweep islands, Tamil Nadu and Kerala to oversee the damage done by Cyclone Ockhi.
PM @narendramodi chairing the meeting to review the situation arisen due to #CycloneOckhi in Lakshadweep pic.twitter.com/jtI3h3xAsG— PIB India (@PIB_India) December 19, 2017
DEVPT STUCK IN THE PAST
Even though the proposals have been moved to the government for developing this new airfield in the Minicoy Islands in the past too, this plan of having a joint-use defence airfield has been revived in recent times and is being actively progressed, they informed. From the military point of view, the airfield would give India a strong capability as it can be used as a base to keep an eye on the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean region.
The Indian Coast Guard was the first force under the Defence Ministry to suggest the development of an airstrip in the Minicoy Islands. As per the present proposal, the Indian Air Force would be in the lead to run the operations from Minicoy. The airport at Minicoy would also give the defence forces the capability to extend their area of surveillance in the Arabian Sea. The airport at Minicoy would also provide a boost to tourism in the region, as has been planned by the government. There is only one airstrip in the island territory at the moment, which is in Agatti and it can also limit the types of aircraft. The proposal for the development of a new airport and extending the present facilities has been revived recently.
With ANI Inputs
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