Assam: Sarma lays foundation stone of northeast’s 1st space surveillance facility

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday laid the foundation stone of Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro)’s advanced radar research facility in Chandrapur near Guwahati, the first of its kind in the northeast for space surveillance. Isro Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) will build the facility.

“It is a landmark day for Assam. Until two decades ago, our state was known for strikes, violence and insurgency. That has changed in the last decade, and now we have IIT [Indian Institute of Technology], IIM [Indian Institute of Management], AIIMS [All India Institute of Medical Sciences] and central universities in Assam,” said Sarma.

He added there was a vacuum in space science. “With the Chandrapur facility, that gap has been filled.” Sarma said that the state government has provided around 70 acres of land, which earlier housed a thermal power plant, to ISTRAC to set up the facility. Sarma assured ISRO support to make the facility a standout one.

Isro chairman V Narayanan said the Chandrapur facility will be world-class. “We are ready with a cloud radar for this facility. It will be commissioned before the end of February. Two more important radars will be commissioned in another one and a half years.”

He said the cloud radar will study cloud patterns and will also be involved in research and development. “This will help in predicting rainfall patterns and aid the government in taking necessary action. Many more radars will be set up once required approvals are received,” he added, terming the occasion a momentous one.

Naranyan said Union and state governments were running over 60 projects involving space applications related to agriculture, disaster management, forestry, water resources, geosciences and public health.