Barely three weeks after the Taliban killed two Indian engineers in a suicide attack on the Zaranj-Delaram road in Nimroz province of Afghanistan, India is set to carry out its heaviest airlift operation for transporting five mega transformers to light up Kabul.

The first flight takes off on Sunday. Three 40 MVA transformers weighing 64 tonnes each and two 160 MVA transformers weighing 90 tonnes each will be sent this month in two phases aboard specially arranged AN-124 planes, the largest transport aircraft in the world that can carry up to 120 tonnes of cargo.

The second lot will surpass the 70-tonne gas turbine BHEL had sent to Malaysia in 2003, which is considered the heaviest airlift in India.

These transformers will be installed at the Kabul sub-station by BHEL, which is responsible for the project and is committed to completing the task by August. So, the 40 MVA transformers will be moved in three flights on May 4, 5 & 7. The 160 MVA transformers will move towards the month-end.

With Pakistan still denying India transit rights into Afghanistan, India has been sending aid and assistance material through a circuitous route via the port of Bandar Abbas in Iran. From Iran, the goods are transferred by road through the some of the most troubled areas of Afghanistan like Herat and Kandahar.

After the recent suicide attack in that area, there is an increased threat perception about the Taliban possibly targeting convoys carrying Indian goods and material.

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