Prime Minister Narendra Modi achieved a historic milestone on Saturday by landing on the Northeast’s inaugural highway-based emergency landing facility in Assam’s Dibrugarh district, before inaugurating a series of major infrastructure initiatives valued at more than Rs 5,500 crore for the state.
Arriving from Chabua airfield in an Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft, the Prime Minister touched down on a 4.2-km reinforced section of the Moran bypass. This Rs 100-crore dual-use infrastructure serves both as a national highway and an emergency airstrip for military and civilian aircraft. It is capable of accommodating fighter jets with a maximum take-off weight of up to 40 tonnes and transport planes up to 74 tonnes, offering a crucial alternative to Dibrugarh airport during emergencies such as natural calamities or security situations. Situated in a strategically important area near the Chinese border, the facility bolsters rapid response and humanitarian aid capabilities.
The landing was followed by an impressive 40-minute aerial demonstration by the Indian Air Force to showcase the site’s operational capability. Sukhoi Su-30MKI and Rafale fighters executed takeoffs and landings, An-32 transport aircraft demonstrated short-field performance, advanced light helicopters carried out simulated disaster relief exercises, and Garud commandos performed a rappel insertion onto the strip.
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In Guwahati later that day, Modi commissioned the Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu—a 7.75-km, six-lane extradosed bridge across the Brahmaputra River, constructed for Rs 3,030 crore. As the first structure of its type in the Northeast, it slashes travel time between Guwahati and North Guwahati to roughly seven minutes, down from about 30 minutes via the existing Saraighat bridge. Built to endure high seismic zones, the bridge features friction pendulum bearings and a real-time structural health monitoring system. The Prime Minister had performed its bhoomi pujan in February 2019.
At Lachit Ghat, he formally launched the temporary campus of IIM Guwahati—the second Indian Institute of Management in the Northeast and the 22nd in the country. The permanent campus, estimated at Rs 555 crore, is progressing at Palasbari near Guwahati, with academic activities starting from a transit site at Tech City, Bongora, under the guidance of IIM Ahmedabad.
The Prime Minister also dedicated the Northeast’s National Data Centre in Amingaon, Kamrup district—a Rs 348-crore facility equipped with an 8.5-MW power capacity and advanced infrastructure to host essential government services and act as a disaster recovery backup under the Digital India programme. He additionally flagged off a fleet of electric buses alongside other connectivity-related projects.
These initiatives highlight continued focus on enhancing defence infrastructure, transportation networks, higher education access, and digital resilience in Assam.
