A strip of road in south Kashmir’s Bijbehara on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway will be used to conduct emergency landing drills by aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) from April 1 night, according to officials.
Sukhoi fighters and Tejas light combat aircraft are likely to participate. This is the first such drill to be conducted in the Valley. The IAF will use highways as an alternative runway during emergencies. Landings will be conducted on 3.5 km of highway in Bijbehara.
An official said all civilian vehicles were directed on Monday to divert to the old national highway alignment. “Truck drivers are advised to avoid the highway from 4 am on April 1 (Monday) to 7 a.m. on April 2 (Tuesday),” the official said.
