IAF donates Rs 8.33 cr in PM's relief fund for Uttarakhand

New Delhi: After having rescued over 23,000 people in disaster-hit Uttarakhand, the Indian Air Force has now contributed for their rehabilitation by donating Rs 8.33 crore in the Prime Minister’s relief fund. The amount was collected by IAF through donation of a day’s salary by its over 1.7 lakh officers and men deployed across the country, Air Force officials said in New Delhi.[caption id=“attachment_1162373” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Rescued pilgrims and tourist from Harsil sitting in an IAF helicopter, during their relief & rescue operation, at Dharasu, Uttarakhand. Image courtesy PIB[/caption] The cheque was presented to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne at the Air Force Day reception at the IAF chief’s residence on Tuesday. In one of the largest relief operations in the country since Independence, IAF played a major role in Uttarakhand after floods caused by incessant rains struck large-scale devastation there beginning 16 June night. The Air Force airlifted more than 23,000 people– flying more than 2,140 sorties and dropping/landing a total of 3,82,400 kg of relief material and equipment. At the peak of its operations in the hill state, IAF had deployed more than 50 aircraft and helicopters. The operations went on till the end of July. The IAF choppers involved in the sorties included the Mi-26, Mi-17V5, Mi-17, ALH Dhruv besides their mainstay in the difficult terrain–Cheetah and Chetak light helicopters. MI-26, the world’s biggest helicopter, also took part in the operations and was used to provide road construction equipment to the Border Roads Organisation for building roads. The Air Force innovatively used their newly acquired C-130J Super Hercules special operations aircraft for providing fuel required for the helicopter operations after establishing a small landing ground at Harsil. The aircraft was instrumental in supplying all necessary equipment for road construction and providing relief material for the stranded pilgrims. IAF lost five of its men in the operations when one of its Mi-17V5 choppers crashed north of Gaurikund while returning from Kedarnath on 25 June. All 20 persons on board including 9 NDRF personnel and 6 ITBP personnel were killed. Browne, who had visited the area soon after the crash to boost the morale of his personnel operating there, had said, “We owe it to the lives our people whom we have lost, that we sustain the mission and complete it successfully.” IAF is also in the process of upgrading its capabilities to carry out relief operations with the proposed induction of US-made 15 Chinook heavylift choppers and 10 C-17 heavylift transport aircraft. PTI