IAF plans to set up firing range at Khalia Top; locals object

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is planning to set up a firing range at Khalia Top, a popular tourist spot close to the India-China border near Munsiyari in this district of Uttarakhand.

It will be the first major strategic infrastructure project to come up on the Indian side close to the border after the India-China war of 1962, officials associated with the proposal said.

"The IAF needs a firing range in this area because of security reasons and Khalia Top near Munsiyari town fits the bill with its perfect altitude," Air Marshal Devender Singh Rawat said.

Located at a height of 12,500 feet which is the standard parameter set for firing ranges, Khalia Top is the ideal site for the project, he said.

Rawat had visited thespot recently along with a team of IAF officers to get the feedback of locals on the proposal.

The aerial distance between Khalia Top and the
The IAF officer, however, maintained that the project will not be harmful to the ecology as target practice with