Remapping on war-footing at Car Nicobar

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) had teamed up with the Navy’s hydrographers and cartographers to re-map the islands in January. They had even prepared a preliminary data report, but later, the work got held up, as two of the seven navigational control points at Car Nicobar and Indira Point remained inoperable.

Overall, the GSI has found that parts of the islands have moved a little over a metre away from the mainland in a South-East direction — a change that poses a mammoth alteration in existing navigational data and maps.

‘‘The surveying will take a lot of time. The aftershocks of the first earthquake are not over yet, so there’s constant movement. But mapping will have to continue, as this is such a strategically important zone for both the IAF and the Navy and is so close to the busy 6 Degree channel,’’ an IAF official said here.

China’s military base on Coco Island is just 45 km from the northern tip of the islands and Aceh is only 163 km from Indira Point.

Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi, however, ruled out any alteration in the IAF’s strategy here vis-a-vis the tsunami. But the operation of deep penetration Jaguars and the IAF’s most sophisticated long-range Sukhoi-30Ks here has certainly sent out a strong signal in the region.

A Sukhoi pilot said: ‘‘These aircraft are advanced and capable of getting deep into enemy territory fast. .’’ There is also a perception that the island’s new combat-worthiness will provide valuable early warning data on potential threats from the South-East.

The six fighters, at the moment, are only a temporary arrangement. The Car Nicobar base will operate only transport planes and helicopters when the six fighters leave for the mainland on Sunday. However, with mid-air refuellers, Jaguars and Sukhois can now be deployed over the islands in under three hours.