Nyoma Airfield to be developed in Eastern Ladakh

New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday virtually laid the foundation stone of Nyoma Airfield in Eastern Ladakh, which will be developed at a cost of Rs 200 crore.

“This airfield will be developed at a cost of approximately Rs 200 crore. It will boost the air infrastructure in Ladakh and augment IAF’s capability along the Northern border,” Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a statement said.

MoD said that the Defence Minister exuded confidence that this airfield, which will be one of the world’s highest, would prove to be a game-changer for the armed forces.

It said that the revamped Bagdogra and Barrackpore Airfields in West Bengal were dedicated to the nation on Tuesday. “These airfields, reconstructed at a cost of over Rs 500 crore, will not only bolster the preparedness of the Indian Air Force (IAF), but also facilitate commercial flight operations in the region,” MoD said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has dedicated to the nation 90 infrastructure projects of Border Roads Organisation (BRO), worth over Rs 2,900 crore, spread across 11 States and Union Territories.

MoD said that these include Nechiphu Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh; two airfields in West Bengal; two helipads; 22 roads and 63 bridges. Of these 90 projects, 36 are in Arunachal Pradesh; 26 in Ladakh; 11 in Jammu and Kashmir; five in Mizoram; three in Himachal Pradesh; two each in Sikkim, Uttarakhand and West Bengal and one each in Nagaland, Rajasthan and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

MoD said that an important infrastructure project inaugurated by the Defence Minister was the 500-metre long Nechiphu Tunnel on Balipara-Charduar-Tawang Road in Arunachal Pradesh.

“This tunnel, along with the under construction Sela Tunnel, will provide all-weather connectivity to the strategic Tawang Region. It will be beneficial to the armed forces deployed in the region and the tourists visiting Tawang.”

MoD said that Rajnath Singh had laid the foundation stone of the tunnel in October 2020.