BY: Pranab Dhal Samanta for indian express



Concerned over growing threats from LTTE’s air wing, the Government has decided to declare the airspace above Tamil Nadu’s Kalpakkam, which houses one of its most sensitive nuclear installations, as a “no fly zone”.

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The IAF has already begun working jointly with the Civil Aviation Ministry to implement the decision as soon as possible.

The Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research at Kalpakkam is on the military list of nuclear facilities in the Separation Plan under the nuclear deal with the United States. And its security has been under constant review after LTTE’s air arm made its presence felt in Sri Lanka.

Given Kalpakkam’s proximity to LTTE’s northern bases, the Government has also stepped up air surveillance, moved mobile radars to the area and deployed unmanned aerial vehicles. There is also a move to purchase and install aerostat radars in Tamil Nadu to detect aircraft movement from Sri Lanka.

According to sources, prohibiting any aircraft movement above and around the site was a necessary measure. It’s learnt the IAF proposal was cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security before Civil Aviation authorities were asked to work on fresh air routes for civilian aircraft.

Apparently, the Sri Lanka Government has informed India that Kalpakkam could be targeted by LTTE.

In fact, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse’s Adviser and brother, Basil Rajapakse, will be here next week for talks with key Indian officials, including those from the Defence Ministry.

While one view was that Colombo saw benefit in raising the alarm so as to corner defence assistance from New Delhi, sources said the assessment could not be completely ignored. Sri Lanka has also been asking India to post a dedicated detachment of IAF personnel to service their radars.

India has supplied Indra radars to Sri Lanka — one of them is installed at the Katunayake airbase near Colombo. However, LTTE’s Zlin aircraft managed to attack the base in March this year when the radar was not operational due to maintenance reasons.

Since then, the Rajapakse Government has been pressing India to help augment its air defence system, impart training and even send officials to help. But India is not keen to press the accelerator for largely political reasons that emanate from its alliance with the DMK. In fact, even token defence cooperation with Colombo is kept out of the public eye.

Apart from Kalpakkam, some of India’s other important “no fly zones” include the area around Rashtrapati Bhavan and the PM’s residence here as well as the BARC complex near Mumbai.