PM Modi creates history with landing at Strategic Emergency Facility in Assam

The Prime Minister took off from Chabua airfield and landed at the ELF located on National Highway-37, marking a significant milestone in strengthening the region’s strategic and emergency response infrastructure.

Following the landing, Modi witnessed an airshow featuring fighter jets including Indian Air Force aircraft such as Tejas, Sukhoi and Rafale. The aerial display lasted for about 40 minutes.

The Emergency Landing Facility, the first of its kind in Northeast India, has been developed in coordination with the Indian Air Force to support emergency landings and take-offs of both military and civilian aircraft. The dual-use infrastructure will play a crucial role in disaster response, enabling rapid deployment of rescue and relief operations during natural disasters and strategic situations.

The facility is capable of handling fighter aircraft weighing up to 40 tonnes and transport aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of up to 74 tonnes, enhancing operational readiness in the strategically important Northeast region.

During his visit, the Prime Minister will inaugurate and launch several projects aimed at boosting connectivity, digital infrastructure, higher education and public transport.

Among the key projects is the inauguration of the Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu across the Brahmaputra River, built at a cost of around Rs 3,030 crore. The six-lane extradosed prestressed concrete bridge connects Guwahati with North Guwahati and is the first bridge of its kind in Northeast India. It is expected to reduce travel time between the two areas to just seven minutes.

The bridge incorporates advanced base isolation technology using friction pendulum bearings to withstand high seismic activity in the region. It also features high-performance stay cables and a Bridge Health Monitoring System for real-time structural assessment and enhanced safety.

Modi will also inaugurate the National Data Centre for the North Eastern Region at Amingaon in Kamrup district. The state-of-the-art facility will host critical government applications and serve as a disaster recovery centre, strengthening digital infrastructure and improving delivery of citizen services under the Digital India initiative.

In addition, the Prime Minister will inaugurate Indian Institute of Management Guwahati, aimed at boosting higher and management education in the Northeast.

He will also flag off 225 electric buses under the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme across four cities — Guwahati (100), Nagpur (50), Bhavnagar (50), and Chandigarh (25). The initiative is expected to benefit over 50 lakh citizens by providing clean, affordable and reliable public transport while improving urban mobility and reducing pollution.