Assam: PM Modi to launch Northeast’s first highway-based airstrip on Feb 14

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Prime Minister’s aircraft will land on the National Highway and later take off from the four-lane highway airstrip at Moran

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a newly constructed Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) on the Dibrugarh–Moran stretch of National Highway 127 in Assam on Saturday.

The 4.2-kilometre reinforced concrete stretch has been designed to function as an emergency runway. (Narendra Modi | Official Facebook page)

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the prime minister’s aircraft will land on the National Highway and later take off from the four-lane highway airstrip at Moran instead of using the runway at the Chabua Air Force Station.

“His flight will not take off from the airport but from the four-lane highway at Moran. This will be a historic moment for us,” Sarma said.

According to the CM, PM Modi will depart from New Delhi at 7:15am on February 14 and reach Chabua Air Force Station at 9:50am. From there, he will travel to Moran, where his aircraft is scheduled to land on the advanced landing facility at around 10am.

The 4.2-kilometre reinforced concrete stretch has been designed to function as an emergency runway for both military and civilian aircraft. There is no central divider along the stretch to facilitate aircraft movement. Fencing has been installed on both sides, and temporary roadside structures have been removed to ensure operational safety.

The Dibrugarh district administration has imposed restrictions on public and vehicular movement in the area since February 6 as part of security arrangements.

The Moran ELF holds strategic importance due to its location in Upper Assam, a few hundred kilometres from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and near the Myanmar border. The facility is intended to serve as an alternative landing option if Dibrugarh Airport or the Chabua Air Force Station becomes unavailable.

Meanwhile, Sarma said the PM is also expected to visit Assam again in March for a two-day programme, likely on March 6 and 7.