The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has said that it has scrapped the plan to have emergency runways on the proposed 701-km-long Mumbai Nagpur Super Communication Expressway. The MSRDC also informed the potential bidders for construction that the plan has not received any positive response from the civil aviation ministry or the Indian Air Force (IAF).
The MSRDC had proposed to have five emergency runways on the expressway in the case of floods or a war-like situation.
However, it has said that after no keen interest was shown for the same, it has decided to scrap the construction.
Countries like Germany, Singapore, Pakistan, China and Sweden have road runways also known as emergency runways. "There are mainly two reasons for scrapping the construction of the emergency runway. One is no permission granted and another one was civil aviation ministry citing security and feasibility issues behind having the emergency runways," said an MSRDC official.
Emergency runways will clash with state government's regional connectivity plan to have airports in small cities and towns of the state. There are already several airports between Mumbai and Nagpur. Thus, it is difficult to have another emergency runway on the Expressway, the officials said.
"We also told the IAF that if they want the emergency runways to be constructed, they should fund the construction and bear the expenses on maintenance and administration of the runways," said an MSRDC official.
Recently, IAF planes conducted landings on a stretch of the Lucknow-Agra Expressway. In May 2015, IAF successfully landed a Mirage-2000 on the Yamuna Expressway, near Mathura as part of its trials to use national highways for an emergency landing by fighter aircraft.
13/11/17 Mehul R Thakkar/DNA
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The MSRDC had proposed to have five emergency runways on the expressway in the case of floods or a war-like situation.
However, it has said that after no keen interest was shown for the same, it has decided to scrap the construction.
Countries like Germany, Singapore, Pakistan, China and Sweden have road runways also known as emergency runways. "There are mainly two reasons for scrapping the construction of the emergency runway. One is no permission granted and another one was civil aviation ministry citing security and feasibility issues behind having the emergency runways," said an MSRDC official.
Emergency runways will clash with state government's regional connectivity plan to have airports in small cities and towns of the state. There are already several airports between Mumbai and Nagpur. Thus, it is difficult to have another emergency runway on the Expressway, the officials said.
"We also told the IAF that if they want the emergency runways to be constructed, they should fund the construction and bear the expenses on maintenance and administration of the runways," said an MSRDC official.
Recently, IAF planes conducted landings on a stretch of the Lucknow-Agra Expressway. In May 2015, IAF successfully landed a Mirage-2000 on the Yamuna Expressway, near Mathura as part of its trials to use national highways for an emergency landing by fighter aircraft.
13/11/17 Mehul R Thakkar/DNA
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