IDUKKI: At a time when Idukki's ambitious project to launch the maiden flight from the National Cadet Corps (NCC) airstrip at Sathram near Kumily was in the works, a mudslide has washed away a portion of the runway.
Sathram airstrip is the NCC's only airstrip in Kerala and is being constructed by the Public Works Department (PWD) at a cost of Rs 12 crore. The airstrip was constructed with the aim to provide training to NCC Air Wing cadets in flying small aircrafts.
However, the heavy rain that lashed the area on Sunday led to a portion of the runway, extending to 100 meters, collapsing to a depth of 150 feet.
Although nearly 80 percent of the construction work at the airstrip had been completed, the authorities couldn't land an aircraft on the runway despite having conducted a trial run two times in the recent past due to a mud ridge standing at the end of the runway.
As per directions given by airforce officials who conducted the trial run at the airstrip in April, the tender to level the mud ridge had been issued immediately.
The failure of the authorities in building retaining walls and in providing facilities to divert water flowing into the runway resulted in the runway collapsing, according to initial reports.
BJP Idukki district general secretary Ratheesh Varakumala said the airstrip in Sathram was a project implemented in a hurry without conducting an environmental impact assessment or obtaining necessary permissions.
"The airstrip is constructed in an environmentally sensitive area near the Periyar Tiger Reserve, while other suitable sites for constructing the airstrip are available in Idukki. The personal interest of some political leaders and authorities and their carelessness are the reasons for the damage now caused on the runway," he said.
Ratheesh said that even though there were suggestions to plant grass on the slopes of the runway to prevent soil erosion, no effort had been made so far to ensure this.
