PM Modi to attend airshow in Assam, inaugurate projects worth Rs 5,450 crore

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Assam on February 14, where he will attend an airshow and inaugurate and flag off development projects worth over Rs 5,450 crore aimed at strengthening connectivity, digital infrastructure, higher education and urban mobility in the North-Eastern Region.

 

According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Prime Minister will land at around 10:30 AM at the Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) on Moran Bypass in Dibrugarh, where he will witness an aerial display by fighter aircraft, transport planes and helicopters.

 

The Emergency Landing Facility, the first of its kind in Northeast India, has been developed in coordination with the Indian Air Force. Designed as dual-use infrastructure, it can support the landing and take-off of both military and civilian aircraft during emergencies. The facility is capable of handling fighter aircraft up to 40 tonnes and transport aircraft up to 74 tonnes maximum take-off weight, and will play a crucial role in disaster response and strategic operations in the region.

 

At around 1 PM, the Prime Minister will inspect the newly built Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu across the Brahmaputra River. Built at a cost of approximately Rs 3,030 crore, the six-lane extradosed Prestressed Concrete (PSC) bridge connects Guwahati with North Guwahati. It is the first bridge of its kind in Northeast India and is expected to reduce travel time between the two sides to about seven minutes.

 

Considering the region’s high seismic vulnerability, the bridge incorporates base isolation using friction pendulum bearings. High-performance stay cables have been installed to ensure durability and long-term structural integrity. A Bridge Health Monitoring System (BHMS) has also been integrated for real-time condition monitoring, early damage detection and enhanced safety.

 

Later, at around 1:30 PM, the Prime Minister will inaugurate and flag off various development projects at Lachit Ghat in Guwahati.

 

Among the key projects is the inauguration of the National Data Centre for the Northeastern region at Amingaon in Kamrup district. The state-of-the-art facility, with a total sanctioned load of 8.5 MW and an average rack capacity of 10 kW, will host mission-critical applications for several government departments and serve as a Disaster Recovery centre for other National Data Centres. The project aligns with the vision of Digital India and aims to strengthen the region’s digital backbone, ensuring secure and reliable delivery of citizen-centric services.

 

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the permanent campus of the Indian Institute of Management Guwahati, which is expected to provide a major boost to higher and management education in the Northeast.

 

In addition, he will flag off 225 electric buses under the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme in Guwahati (100), Nagpur (50), Bhavnagar (50) and Chandigarh (25). With the launch of e-bus operations in these cities, over 50 lakh citizens are expected to benefit from clean, affordable and reliable public transport services, thereby enhancing urban mobility and improving quality of life.