| Details : |  Wing Commander Pemmaraju Maheshwar (19183) Flying (Pilot) is on the posted strength of Air Force Station Carnicobar since 05 Apr 2004.On 26 Dec 2004, Air Force Station Carnicobar was devastated by a severe earthquake which was followed by Tsunamis. The house atop which Wg Cdr Maheshwar had taken refuge along with his and a few other families collapsed due to the onslaught of the tidal waves. While most of the families perished, Wg Cdr Maheshwar and his family miraculously survived suffering heavy physical injuries. After regrouping his family and placing them on a safe location, the professional in him came alive,Inspite of being badly Injured by the swirling debris, Wg Cdr Maheshwar got airborne for a short while in a Mi-8 to lake stock of the extent of devastation. From that moment onwards, despite the recently experienced trauma of witnessing the loss of colleagues and their families, Wg Cdr Maheshwar worked tirelessly to ensure that the runway and all the support services were available round the clock to facilitate evacuation of approximately 5500 personnel, families and civilians from the island of Carnicobar and also enable the unhampered ingress of relief materials. The civilians of the islands wanted to be evacuated to Port Blair. The management of this extra traffic was well regulated by his personal intervention. The runway at Carnicobar had never seen so much night flying before especially by big aircraft like IL - 76 and a large number of AN -32 aircraft. These aircraft flew on emergency lighting system as no electrical systems exist and the surrounding area was In darkness as there was no power supply. Extensive and incident free air operations took place by day and night on a rapidly deteriorating quake damaged runway surface. His personal involvement and supervision ensured'the smooth flow of traffic. Though the medical team advised complete rest to prevent aggravation of haematoma injury, Wg Cdr Maheshwar continued to maintain round the clock vigil to ensure a safe operational environment in a post calamity scenario, where most of the technical facilities were not functional.For this act of exceptional courage, selfless devotion to duty towards mankind, extraordinary physical and menial ronm^d find exemplary leadership in a natural disaster without concern for his personal loss or trauma, the Hon'ble President is pleased to award 'Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry)' to Wing Commander Pemmaraju Maheshwar. |
