Dibrugarh, Feb 14: Narendra Modi on Saturday witnessed an aerial display by fighter jets of the Indian Air Force at the newly operational Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) on Moran Bypass in Dibrugarh, marking a significant development in Northeast India’s defence and emergency infrastructure. The display included Sukhoi Su-30MKI and Rafale jets, along with transport aircraft and helicopters demonstrating the facility’s operational capabilities.

The ELF, the first such facility in the Northeast, was inaugurated in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. Developed in coordination with the Indian Air Force, the dual-use runway is designed to support fighter jets up to 40 tonnes and transport aircraft up to 74 tonnes. The facility aims to enable emergency landings, rescue missions and relief operations during disasters and strategic situations.

During the visit, the Prime Minister also launched and inaugurated multiple development projects worth over Rs 5,450 crore aimed at enhancing connectivity, digital infrastructure, higher education and urban mobility in the region.

Among the key projects is the Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu, a six-lane extradosed prestressed concrete bridge over the Brahmaputra River connecting Guwahati with North Guwahati. The bridge, built at a cost of Rs 3,030 crore, is designed for high seismic zones and includes friction pendulum bearings, high-performance stay cables and a Bridge Health Monitoring System for real-time structural assessment.

A National Data Centre at Amingaon with an 8.5 MW capacity was also launched to host government applications and serve as a disaster recovery hub for Digital India services across the Northeast. The Prime Minister also highlighted developments related to IIM Guwahati to strengthen management education in the region.

Under the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme, 225 electric buses were flagged off for multiple cities including Nagpur, Bhavnagar and Chandigarh, aimed at promoting clean and sustainable public transport benefiting over 50 lakh people.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to inspect the newly constructed bridge in Guwahati and later launch additional projects at Lachit Ghat as part of the day’s programme.