Emergency landing facilities will be developed at 19 other places to strengthen country's security, said Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari while inaugurating the Emergency Landing Field (ELF) on the Satta-Gandhav stretch of NH-925A in Rajasthan's Barmer district today.

This is the first time that a National Highway has been used for emergency landing of aircraft of Indian Air Force. The landing strip will be able to facilitate landing of all types of IAF aircraft.

Gadkari and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had travelled to Barmer on C-130J aircraft to inaugurate the facility. They also witnessed aircraft operations on the ELF, which has been constructed in just 19 months.

Singh reiterated the Narendra Modi government's resolve to bolster the network of roads and highways across the country, with focus on constructing emergency landing fields at strategic and important places.

According to Gadkari, similar emergency landing facilities will be developed at 19 other roads in the country.

It includes the Phalodi–Jaisalmer, Barmer–Jaisalmer, Kharagpur–Balasore, Kharagpur–Keonjhar,Panagarh-KKD, Nellore–Ongole, Ongole–Chilakaluripet, Mandi Dabwali-Odhan, Bhuj-Naliya, Surat-Baroda, Banihal-Srinagar, Leh-Nyoma, Jorhat-Baraghat, Bagdogra-Hashimara, Hashimara-Tezpur, and Hashimara-Guwahati road.

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