Car Nicobar flight to recovery long & lonely but smiles are back

A little over five months after the killer waves swept the Car Nicobar air base off the map, its new Station Commander can afford a smile.

‘‘We are preparing for a full take-off. The path to recovery may have been long but there’s no stopping us now,’’ says Group Capt Dhar.

Even if it has meant working extra hours with 50 per cent manpower, power rationing, staying in touch with families on crackling mobile lines or setting up an organic farm as the first wall against future waves.

‘‘Work is religion for every one here. This is no longer a family station. We are all bachelors here,’’ says Dhar, smiling again.

Flying in on January 1, Group Capt Dhar and his colleagues—Chief Operations Officer Wg Cdr Nitin Sathe, Chief Administrative Officer Wg Cdr Sandeep Johri and Chief Engineering Officer Wg Cdr Dipak Lahiri—have been the pivots of this turnaround.

Commanding Officer of the 122 Helicopter Squadron, Wg Cdr M K Atri, provided valuable support, says the Station Commander.

Already, five pre-fabricated shelters for officers are ready and finishing touches are being given to 10 quarters for airmen. In Phase II, 14 more quarters for 112 personnel will come up.

But hurdles remain, admits Dhar, pointing to the water-clogged runway end and heaps of rubble that still cloud the landscape.

Glancing across at a broken hangar-like structure, he says, ‘‘This used to be our radar unit. We are relocating it now. Also, the roof of our Air Traffic Control building, weighing over 30 tonnes, had collapsed. We have erected a small room from where the ATC now functions.’’

And that was just one of the challenges. ‘‘Our power house was fully destroyed. We are now using 125-KVA sets in shifts,’’ says Dhar, adding that power is still being rationed.

Drinking water was another big question mark. As wells dug by the Japanese during WW-II became unfit for use, a reverse osmosis plant was set up to treat saline water. Then, to block with an eye on future waves, the IAF started organic farming—over 1,000 papaya trees have been planted.

On the personal front, undependable mobile phone connections remain the only link to the world outside. ‘‘But if we are able to talk to our families twice a week, we are fine,’’ says Wg Cdr Atri.