New Delhi, Oct 3 (Inditop.com) The Indian Air Force (IAF) has deployed 13 helicopters and four AN-32 aircraft for rescue and relief operations in flood-ravaged Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh but the delay by the district administrations in providing aviation fuel was hampering the operations, an official said.
A senior official involved in the operations told Inditop that the delay in supplying aviation fuel was the “main hurdle” in the rescue operations, besides the inclement weather.
“Aviation fuel has to be provided by the district administration, but the persistent delay in doing so is hampering search and rescue operations,” the official said Saturday, declining to be named.
The 13 helicopters – five Mi-8s and eight Chetaks – have carried out 17 sorties so far. In addition, four AN-32 aircraft have carried out 13 sorties, airlifting men and material provided by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) from Pune to the affected areas in the two states.
“One AN-32 sortie carrying relief for affected people in Kurnool had to be diverted to Karnataka as the road link to Kurnool had been washed away in many places. Relief material, boats and other equipment have now reached the the district,” a defence ministry official said.
“A large number of soldiers and boats scheduled to be moved from Bangalore to Bellary have been held up due to heavy rains on the west coast. The navy in Karwar and Goa has been providing relief operations in the affected areas in the west coast of Karnataka,” a defence ministry official said.
The IAF deployed an IL-76 Saturday from Bhubaneswar to Bangalore/Puttapurthy to transport 350 men and 50 boats to join in the search and relief missions.
“An additional 100 men and 30 boats are also being pressed into service by a sortie from Pune to Hyderabad. Further, 270 men and 30 boats will be airlifted from Bhatinda and Delhi to the affected areas as per decisions of the NDMA,” an IAF spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the Karnataka Disaster Monitoring Authority denied there was shortage of aviation fuel, but said there was problem in transporting the fuel to the required destinations.
“Tankers carrying aviation fuel could not reach the destination in Raichur district Saturday morning because the roads were flooded. Hence the choppers flew to where the tankers were stuck and refuelling was done there. Rescue operation by the helicopters is continuing without any problem,” the official told Inditop.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Naval Command has been alerted to remain on standby in Vijaywada for any eventuality.
“The navy has deployed 12 diving teams with boats. So far we have rescued 130 people. Moreover, food and shelter is being provided to 150 people stranded at Karwar base,” a navy spokesperson said.
The army has deployed 10 columns of its men, around 600 soldiers, in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The army columns are accompanied by boats, a medical team and engineer task force.
