That’s what the apple and the melon huts are also known as. There are 2 of them near the helipads at Maitri, and another 2 at the site of the third Indian Antarctic Station at Larsemann Hills. The primary purpose of the igloo huts is for camping at places far away from the station. The smaller ones have been nicknamed apple huts and the larger ones, the melon huts owing to their shapes. Very often during the summers, some of the scientific teams have a research project that requires them to camp in the open for many weeks at a stretch, for example, at the Wolthat Mountains or the distant glaciers. Being extremely lightweight, the Igloo huts can be transported underslung by helicopters to the camping site.
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The igloo huts are extremely well insulated against temperature and wind. Even in the peak of the winter season, they are surprisingly warm even without heating arrangements. To protect them from being blown away by a blizzard, they have to be strapped firmly and one has to bury the edges in snow all around its base to prevent the wind from getting a grip underneath. They have cots with mattresses and a small table put up inside. A kitchen can also be set up as the structure is fireproof. They have a trap door in the roof to enable occupants to exit in case of heavy snowfall. Contrary to the outward appearance, they are surprisingly spacious. Lots of rations can be easily stored inside. A generator can be attached to the huts for electricity as the huts have plug points and bulb holders.
These are a drastic improvement over tents that used to be used earlier for such excursions. Tents are still used, but only for short stays not too far away from the station. Tents used to be too flimsy for windy conditions, and offered little protection against the cold. There are many tales of tents being blown away with their occupants during such trips.
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Apart from camping, these huts can also be used as refugee huts, as they are currently being used as at Larsemann Hills. The ones at Larsemann Hills are well stocked with rations and sleeping arrangements and are meant for use by the field parties working at the site of the new station in bad weather if they cannot be transported back to the ship in time. As with all structures in Antarctica, they are never locked to enable the facilities to be used by any stranded or lost person of any nationality for any reason. Such facilities dot various places in Antarctica and have been life saving on many occasions for shipwrecked travelers or occupants of crashed aircraft.
