A.K. Antony on Tuesday became the first Defence Minister to land at the Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) of Nyoma in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.
The ALG, activated last September for fixed-wing aircraft, is 23 km from the Line of Actual Control and close to the Sino-Indian border. Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar, senior officials of the Ministry of Defence, senior officers of the Army and Air Force based in Leh accompanied the Minister.
Nyoma has been developed with an aim to connect the remote areas of Ladakh to the mainland. This will also ensure that movements in the area continue when the road traffic gets affected during harsh winters besides enabling communication network in the region, facilitating economical ferrying of supplies as well as promotion of tourism to the general area.
Mr. Antony also made an aerial survey of another ALG, Fukche, a Defence Ministry release said.
PTI reports
When Mr. Antony met jawans at the Siachen glacier they demanded reduction in telephone call rates, better socks and more snow mobiles, Defence Ministry officials said at Leh.
Mr. Antony assured them that early action would be taken on all the issues raised by them.
During the interaction at the Siachen Base Camp, Mr. Antony spoke to a number of men and officers of the Army and the Air Force and sought their frank views on the conditions they were working in.
The Minister met a group of soldiers who had just returned after posting in the high altitude areas.
