Guwahati, Feb 14: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu, a six-lane extradosed prestressed concrete (PSC) bridge over the Brahmaputra River. Built at a cost of around Rs 3,030 crore, the bridge connects Guwahati with North Guwahati, reducing travel time to just seven minutes.

The bridge is the first extradosed structure in Northeast India and incorporates advanced engineering suited to the region’s high seismic activity. Features include base isolation with friction pendulum bearings, high-performance stay cables, and a Bridge Health Monitoring System (BHMS) for real-time monitoring and early detection of structural issues.

In Dibrugarh, Modi also observed an Indian Air Force display at the newly operational Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) on Moran Bypass. Sukhoi Su-30MKI and Rafale jets took off from the facility, the first of its kind in the Northeast, designed to support fighter jets up to 40 tonnes and transport aircraft up to 74 tonnes for emergency landings, disaster relief, and strategic operations.

PM Modi was welcomed by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. He is scheduled to inaugurate and flag off development projects worth over Rs 5,450 crore aimed at enhancing connectivity, digital infrastructure, higher education, and urban mobility across the Northeast.