Airfield upgrade: dangerous delay

India's capacity to defend its territory is being severely crippled by the slow pace at which modernisation of its military is proceeding. It is well known, for instance, that procurement of combat aircraft has suffered heavy delays. Less known but just as vital is the modernisation of airfields used by the Indian Air Force (IAF), and this is running behind schedule as well. In 2011, the Ministry of Defence and Tata Power's Strategic Electronics Division (SED) signed a Rs 1,219.99-crore agreement for upgradation of 30 IAF and Indian Navy airfields. Phase-I of the Modernisation of Airfield Infrastructure (MAFI) was scheduled to be completed by October 2014. It was only in December 2017 - 38 months after the original deadline - that 25 airfields became ready. Five other airfields still await completion and are expected to be ready by June. The inordinate delay in modernising defence airfields is untenable. Several of these are strategically located and play a key role in the defence of India's borders. Among the airfields that were to be modernised under Phase-I, eight, including those at Chabua, Tezpur and Hashimara, lie close to the Line of Actual Control with China. The delay in airfield upgradation, not strategy, is influencing IAF's decisions on deployment of combat aircraft. For instance, Sukhoi-30 MKI combat aircraft that were to be deployed in Chabua air station in Assam have been parked at Hashimara in northern West Bengal because of delays in upgradation of the airfield at Chabua.

India's relations with Pakistan and China are deeply troubled. The possibility of armed conflict, especially with China, cannot be ruled out. For several months last year, the Indian and Chinese armed forces were on the brink of war. Beijing is modernising its military infrastructure at a furious pace. It has developed a massive network of modern airfields close to the LAC, which will facilitate rapid force mobilisation in the event of war with India. India's poor preparedness could cost it dearly.

Replacing ageing equipment and modernising our armed forces is necessary to keep our military fighting fit. But every aspect of the modernisation of India's defence is suffering from delays. Officials say that decisions are getting delayed because of extreme caution in the context of grave corruption in awarding of contracts. This is a poor excuse; caution to prevent corruption is necessary. It is important that the Narendra Modi government probes the delay in completion of MAFI Phase-I, and speeds up Phase-II for modernising 37 strategic airfields, which is running behind schedule.