"In my 34 years of service, I have never seen an IAF base commander receive his chief dressed in a vest, pyjamas and chappal. He (Bandopadhyay) has nothing left," an emotionally charged Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy said about his visit to Air Force Station Carnic. Completely ravaged concrete buildings, uprooted trees, cracks on the runway, a tilted Air Traffic Control tower and an open gate to nowhere. This is what remains of the strategic IAF air base that bore the brunt of Sunday's tsunamis, which ploughed through it, tearing apart whatever came in its way and washing away whatever was left behind. The toll at this base, which was hit by the 'Biblical' wall of water, was 27 confirmed dead and over 80 IAF personnel and their family members missing, with officials saying there was almost no possibility of their survival now.
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Sunday's tsunami waves have wrecked the Indian Air Force's plans to turn the Car Nicobar island into a major fighter base. In view of the strategic location of this island, the air force had planned to expand the small base into a major fighter hub by placing the frontline SU-30 MKI planes here. The Car Nicobar island straddles the access to the Malacca Strait waterways, through which 75 per cent of the world's crude oil passes. The island was one of the worst hit by tsunami in Andaman and Nicobar. The IAF had planned to place two SU-30 multi-role aircraft on the island from January 5. The deployment may be delayed now.| I suppose they are fortunate the aircraft and support personnel had not been deployed there yet. |
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