PM Modi to unveil Northeast's first emergency landing facility on Assam highway

Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday will land on a newly developed Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) in Assam during his visit to the poll-bound state. It is the first such facility in the Northeast.

The PM's flight is scheduled to land at 10am on the ELF on Moran Bypass in Dibrugarh in eastern Assam, following which he will witness the aerial display of fighters, transports and helicopters.

The state government said nearly 100 crores have been spend on developing the 4.2km long ELF, which is not only the first such facility in Assam but in the Northeastern region that shares border with China, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan.

"This ELF is a critical asset for emergency response during natural disasters or strategic requirements in the Northeast. It has been designed to support landing and take-off of military and civil aircraft during emergencies. It is capable of handling fighter aircraft upto 40 tonnes and transport aircraft upto 74 tonnes maximum take off weight," according to a government statement.

"It has been specially designed and constructed in coordination with the Indian Air Force to support landing and take-off of military and civil aircraft during emergencies. It will serve as a critical asset for emergency response, enabling quick deployment of rescue and relief operations during natural disasters or strategic requirements in the Northeast."

At around 1 pm, the PM will visit Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu across River Brahmaputra, connecting Guwahati city with North Guwahati. He will later inaugurate and flag off projects worth more than Rs 5,450 crore at Lachit Ghat, Guwahati.

The PM will also inaugurate the National Data Centre for North Eastern Region at Amingaon in Kamrup district of Assam. PM Modi later will also flag off 225 electric buses under the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme in Guwahati (100), Nagpur (50), Bhavnagar (50) and Chandigarh (25).

Modi will later address BJP workers in a public meeting in Guwahati.

Assembly elections in Assam are scheduled in March-April.