The PM's landing will be followed by an IAF airshow featuring around 16 aircraft.
Key Points
- Narendra Modi will land on an Emergency Landing Facility in Assam on Saturday.
- IAF will stage a 30-minute airshow with multiple fighter jets.
- The Moran ELF boosts national security and emergency readiness in the north east.
With assembly elections likely in April, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Assam on Saturday, February 14 -- his third trip to the state in three months -- to inaugurate key infrastructure projects and land on a newly built highway Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) in Dibrugarh district in a first-of-its-kind exercise.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Modi will arrive at the Chabua air force station from New Delhi on Saturday morning and then take off to land at the Moran ELF, a specially developed airstrip on the National Highway under the Dibrugarh-Moran project.
The landing will be followed by a major airshow featuring around 16 aircraft of the Indian Air Force within a span of about 30 minutes.
"Rafale, Sukhoi and other IAF aircraft will take part in the airshow, and many of the fighter jets will also land at the strip. This will be the first such elaborate exercise on an ELF," Sarma said.
Assam gets first Emergency Landing Facility (ELF)
The Moran Emergency Landing Facility has been developed along a 4.2-km stretch of National Highway between Moran and Demow in coordination with the IAF.
Officials said the facility is designed to enable fighter aircraft to land during emergencies and bolster operational flexibility in the strategically sensitive north east.
The chief minister earlier said the ELF would significantly enhance national security preparedness and disaster management capabilities in the region, which is prone to floods and earthquakes.
Highway airstrips allow military aircraft to operate even if conventional airbases are unavailable, and are seen as critical infrastructure in border states like Assam.
After witnessing the airshow, Modi will depart from the Moran strip for Guwahati to continue his day-long visit.
Bridge over Brahmaputra, IIM campus, data centre
In Guwahati, Modi will inaugurate a new bridge over the Brahmaputra river, which Sarma described as an 'architectural marvel' executed by state engineers.
From Lachit Ghat, he will formally inaugurate the temporary campus of the Indian Institute of Management Guwahati and an AI-enabled hyperscale data centre announced during the Advantage Assam 2.0 Summit by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The visit will also see Modi flag off 100 electric buses for Guwahati as part of efforts to modernise urban transport and promote cleaner mobility solutions.
Later in the day, Modi will attend a BJP Booth Sanmilan at Khanapara in the city, where he is expected to address around 100,000 booth-level party workers.
The visit assumes political significance as Assam gears up for assembly elections expected in April.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
Video curated by Shailajanand Mishra/Rediff
Photographs curated by Anant Salvi/Rediff
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