Centre asks Telangana to name nodal officer for Adilabad IAF airfield
Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy has asked Telangana to appoint a nodal officer to speed up an IAF training centre and joint-user airfield in Adilabad.
Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy has asked the Telangana government to appoint a nodal officer to speed up work on a proposed Indian Air Force training centre and a joint-user airfield in Adilabad, which would serve both civil and defence operations.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Mr. Reddy said the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Civil Aviation have already designated their own nodal officers to coordinate with the State government on the project.
What the facility will house
On the defence side, the planned infrastructure includes trainer aircraft, parking dispersals for visiting aircraft, weather shelters, hangars, an operational complex, training facilities and maintenance infrastructure.
The Airports Authority of India is expected to build a civil terminal and a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facility at the site.
The project will also need residential and support infrastructure for defence personnel, covering single and married accommodation, sports and recreational facilities and other amenities, along with dedicated engineering utilities such as water supply and sanitation systems.
Drug abuse concern raised
Separately, at a function in Hyderabad, Rajya Sabha member K. Laxman flagged the growing problem of drug abuse among students and young people, especially in schools and colleges.
He said the Central government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is following a zero-tolerance approach to drug trafficking and has adopted a four-pronged strategy to make India drug-free by 2029. The approach covers intelligence-driven enforcement operations, action against the sources of synthetic drugs, reducing demand through awareness and de-addiction measures, and stronger coordination and capacity-building among investigative agencies.
Mr. Laxman said the network of the Narcotics Control Bureau is being expanded across the country, with intensified efforts to track drug syndicates, dismantle trafficking networks and follow money trails from local peddlers up to international operators.