Assam govt has written to Centre for more emergency landing facilities: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said he has written to the Centre seeking more emergency landing facilities in the state, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Northeast's first ELF in Moran.

He also announced that the Assam government will ink a pact with the Civil Aviation Ministry next month to carry out a feasibility study to construct four more airports at Majuli, Diphu, Umrangso and Manas.

Addressing a press conference here, Sarma said more strategic assets are being planned, including a twin tube road-cum-rail tunnel under the Brahmaputra river and an underground highway beneath the Chicken's Neck corridor.

"The Moran ELF has extreme strategic importance for Assam and the Northeast. The PM inaugurating it in the presence of the Air Chief Marshal yesterday has sent a very strong message that India is ready for everything on this front," he said.

A lot of highway and other strategic projects are being constructed in Arunachal Pradesh, considering its border with China, but "Assam is being developed as a backup state in case of a war", Sarma said.

"We have written to the Centre seeking more ELFs in the state. We need more such facilities for use during disasters such as floods. During a deluge, transport carriers such as C130 would be able to land at ELFs with relief materials," he added.

The CM said one more ELF has been opened in Assam and there is a possibility that four-five more such facilities would be constructed in the state.

Modi on Saturday made a historic landing at the Northeast's first ELF aboard the C-130J aircraft at Moran in Dibrugarh district.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the PM, on Friday approved the construction of India's first 34-km-long twin-tube underwater road-cum-rail tunnel between Gohpur and Numaligarh in Assam at a total capital cost of Rs 18,662 crore.

"The cabinet has also approved a two-line rail network underneath the Chicken's Neck. The ELF, twin-tube tunnel, and underground rail network will position Assam on the strategic level. We will defeat the enemy from the soil of Assam," Sarma said.