PM Modi in Assam Live Updates: PM Lands on ELF on Moran Bypass

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Assam on Saturday morning, where he is scheduled to witness a major aerial display, inaugurate key infrastructure projects, and flag off electric buses under the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme.

The Prime Minister landed at the Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) on the Moran Bypass in Dibrugarh at around 10:30 am. He will observe an aerial display featuring fighter aircraft, transport planes and helicopters. The ELF, the first such facility in the Northeast, has been developed in coordination with the Indian Air Force as a dual-use infrastructure for both military and civilian operations during emergencies.

Designed to strengthen rapid response capabilities in the region, the facility can accommodate fighter aircraft weighing up to 40 tonnes and transport aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of 74 tonnes. Officials said the ELF will play a critical role during natural disasters and strategic contingencies by enabling the swift deployment of rescue and relief missions.

Modi's Programme

Later in the day, at around 1 pm, the Prime Minister is scheduled to inaugurate the newly constructed Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu across the Brahmaputra River. Built at an estimated cost of Rs 3,030 crore, the six-lane extradosed Prestressed Concrete bridge connects Guwahati with North Guwahati. It is the first extradosed bridge in the Northeast and is expected to reduce travel time between the two banks to approximately seven minutes.

The bridge has been constructed with advanced engineering features to withstand the region’s high seismic activity. It incorporates base isolation technology using friction pendulum bearings and high-performance stay cables for durability and structural resilience. A Bridge Health Monitoring System (BHMS) has also been integrated to enable real-time monitoring, early detection of structural issues, and improved long-term safety.

At around 1:30 pm, the Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for multiple projects worth over Rs 5,450 crore at Lachit Ghat in Guwahati. These projects span key sectors including connectivity, digital infrastructure, higher education and urban mobility, aimed at accelerating development across the North-Eastern Region.

Among the major initiatives is the inauguration of the National Data Centre for the North Eastern Region at Amingaon in Kamrup district. The state-of-the-art facility, with a sanctioned load of 8.5 MW and an average rack capacity of 10 kW per rack, will host mission-critical applications for government departments and serve as a disaster recovery centre for other National Data Centres. The project is aligned with the Digital India vision and is expected to significantly strengthen the ICT backbone of the Northeast, ensuring secure and uninterrupted delivery of citizen-centric digital services.

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Guwahati, a move seen as a major boost to higher and management education in the region. The institute is expected to enhance academic opportunities and contribute to capacity building in the Northeast.

In addition, the Prime Minister will flag off 225 electric buses under the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme. Of these, 100 buses will operate in Guwahati, 50 in Nagpur, 50 in Bhavnagar and 25 in Chandigarh. The rollout of e-bus services in these four cities is expected to benefit more than 50 lakh citizens by providing clean, affordable and reliable public transportation, while contributing to reduced emissions and improved urban mobility.

Officials said the visit underscores the Centre’s continued focus on infrastructure development and strategic capacity building in the North-East, positioning the region as a key driver of India’s growth trajectory.