Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday made a historic landing at the first Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) of the northeast aboard the C-130J aircraft in Assam’s Dibrugarh district.
Modi took off from the Chabua airfield after his arrival and landed at the ELF in Moran on a stretch of National Highway-37.
The Rs 100-crore ELF, a 4.2-km reinforced stretch on the Moran Bypass, inaugurated by the PM, will act as a strategic runway for IAF fighter jets and transport aircraft, strengthening defence, logistics and disaster response, officials said.
The facility can serve both civil and military purposes, offering an alternative to the Dibrugarh airport in case of emergencies, they added.
The PM was received at the ELF by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Air Chief Marshal A. P. Singh, and other ministers of the Assam cabinet.
After landing, Modi drove to the nearby venue, where he watched an aerial display of IAF fighter and transport aircraft along with helicopters. The PM waved to the crowd that had gathered to witness the event.
He was welcomed with a traditional ‘Muga gamosa’ and felicitated by Sarma with the Assamese 'Japi' (headgear), a portrait of the last Chutia queen Sati Sadhini, and a memento from the IAF by the Air Chief Marshal.
“It is with great honour that I welcome Adarniya @narendramodiji to Assam. Each visit of Pradhan Mantriji is marked by historic achievements for Assam as the state takes huge leaps towards being an #AtalAvichalAgragami Assam,” the CM posted on X.