PM Modi’s Plane Lands on Moran Highway in Assam; Airstrip Just 300km from China Border

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a visit to Assam on Saturday. The Prime Minister arrived at Chabua Airfield and then proceeded to the Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) on the Moran Bypass in Dibrugarh by an Air Force C-130 aircraft.

The Prime Minister's plane landed at the ELF on the Moran Bypass near Dibrugarh. This airstrip is strategically important, as it is located approximately 300 km from the China border.

The Air Force has built the ELF to facilitate the landing and takeoff of military and civilian aircraft during emergencies in the Northeast. This will expedite rescue and relief operations in the Northeast during natural disasters and war-like situations.

In the presence of the Prime Minister, 16 fighter aircraft, including Rafale and Sukhoi, performed an aerial display on the Moran Highway. During this, the aircraft demonstrated landing and takeoff from the highway itself. The demo lasted 30 minutes.

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate projects worth ₹5,450 crore in Guwahati. This is PM Modi's third visit to Assam in the last three months.

Assam is holding assembly elections this year. The NDA government has been in power in the state for two consecutive terms since 2016. Prior to that, the Congress government was in power from 2001 to 2016.

2 photos related to PM Modi's landing

The Northeast's first emergency landing facility has been built in Assam

The Moran airstrip is built on a 4.4-kilometer stretch of NH-127. It is India's first emergency landing facility (ELF), which can be used for both military and civilian aircraft.

ELF means that in wartime and emergency situations, aircraft can be landed on the highway and taken off from there. This provides dual benefits to the road: for everyday traffic as well as military needs.

Built on the concept of dual-use infrastructure, the ELF is capable of handling fighter aircraft weighing up to 40 tons and transport aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of up to 74 tons.

The number of ELFs in the country has increased with the inauguration of Moran.
India's first ELF was inaugurated in 2021 in Barmer district, Rajasthan. Approximately 17 such ELF projects are underway in various parts of the country. These ELFs include Gandhav-Bakhasar Barmer in Rajasthan, Nellore-Ongole in Andhra Pradesh, Ongole-Chilakaluripet in Andhra Pradesh, Banihal-Srinagar in J&K, Kharagpur-Balasore in West Bengal, Hashimara-Tezpur in Assam, Hashimara-Guwahati in Assam, NH-37 near Barakhat (67 km from Jorhat) and NH-37 near Sibsagar (40 km from Jorhat), Phalodi-Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, Barmer-Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, Rampur-Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, NH-10 (Sanwant Kheda-Odhan) in Haryana, Leh/Nyoma sector in J&K (additional), Bagdogra-Hashimara in West Bengal, Bhuj-Naliya in Gujarat.

PM Modi's Assam visit schedule
At 10:30 am, he will land at the Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) on the Moran Bypass in Dibrugarh in an IAF Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules aircraft.

At 1 pm, the Prime Minister will inspect the new Kumar Bhaskar Varma Bridge over the Brahmaputra River.
At 1:30 pm, he will inaugurate projects worth ₹5,450 crore at Lachit Ghat in Guwahati.
He will inaugurate the National Data Center for the North-Eastern region in Amingaon, Kamrup district.
He will also flag off electric buses under the PM-e-Bus Seva scheme in Guwahati (100), Nagpur (50), Bhavnagar (50), and Chandigarh (25).