Assam seeks additional emergency landing strips, writes to Centre

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has written to the Centre seeking additional emergency landing facilities (ELFs) across the state, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Northeast’s first such strip at Moran in Dibrugarh district.

Addressing a press conference, Sarma said the Moran ELF holds “extreme strategic importance for Assam and the Northeast” and that the Prime Minister’s presence alongside the Air Chief Marshal had sent “a very strong message that India is ready for everything on this front”.

The Chief Minister said Assam is being strengthened as a fallback location amid heightened infrastructure activity in Arunachal Pradesh, which shares a border with China. “Assam is being developed as a backup state in case of a war,” he stated.

According to Sarma, the state requires more ELFs not only for defence preparedness but also for disaster response. “We have written to the Centre seeking more ELFs in the state. We need more such facilities for use during disasters such as floods. During a deluge, transport carriers such as C-130 would be able to land at ELFs with relief materials,” he said.

One additional ELF has already been opened in Assam, he added, with the possibility of four to five more facilities in the pipeline.

The Prime Minister on Saturday landed at Moran aboard a C-130J aircraft, marking the first operational use of an emergency landing strip in the Northeast.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister, has approved the construction of a 34-km twin-tube underwater road-cum-rail tunnel between Gohpur and Numaligarh at a total capital cost of Rs 18,662 crore. The project is expected to improve connectivity across the Brahmaputra and bolster strategic mobility.

Sarma also referred to plans for a two-line rail network beneath the Siliguri Corridor, commonly known as the Chicken’s Neck. “The cabinet has also approved a two-line rail network underneath the Chicken’s Neck. The ELF, twin-tube tunnel, and underground rail network will position Assam on the strategic level. We will defeat the enemy from the soil of Assam,” he said.

The state government will sign an agreement with the Union Civil Aviation Ministry next month to undertake feasibility studies for four proposed airports at Majuli, Diphu, Umrangso and Manas, expanding aviation capacity alongside strategic infrastructure in the state.