The Indian Air Force carried out an impressive air show on Saturday at the newly built Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) on the Moran Bypass in Assam’s Dibrugarh district, marking a key moment in the region’s growing infrastructure and defence readiness. Advanced fighter aircraft, including the Sukhoi Su-30MKI and Rafale, performed aerial manoeuvres in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior officials.

Modi arrived in Dibrugarh earlier in the day and was received by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. The Emergency Landing Facility, developed in coordination with the Air Force, is the first of its kind in the Northeast and is designed to allow aircraft to land on a specially prepared highway stretch during emergencies.

Officials said the airstrip can accommodate fighter jets weighing up to 40 tonnes as well as heavy transport aircraft with a take-off weight of up to 74 tonnes. Apart from strengthening defence preparedness, the facility is expected to help in disaster response operations by enabling faster movement of rescue and relief aircraft during floods and other natural emergencies in the region.

Later in the day, the Prime Minister is set to launch and inaugurate development projects worth over ₹5,450 crore across Assam. One of the major projects includes the Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu, a six-lane bridge built over the Brahmaputra River at a cost of around ₹3,030 crore. The bridge will connect Guwahati and North Guwahati and is expected to significantly reduce travel time between the two areas to about seven minutes. Special engineering features have been added to ensure safety in the earthquake-prone region, including modern base isolation technology and a real-time monitoring system.

The visit also includes the inauguration of a National Data Centre in Amingaon in Kamrup district. With a sanctioned load of 8.5 MW, the centre will host critical government digital services and act as a disaster recovery hub, strengthening the Northeast’s digital backbone under the Digital India initiative.

In addition, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the permanent campus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Guwahati, aimed at boosting management education and higher studies in the region. More than 225 electric buses under the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme will also be flagged off in Guwahati and other cities including Nagpur, Bhavnagar and Chandigarh. Officials said the expansion of electric bus services is expected to benefit over 50 lakh people by offering cleaner, more affordable and reliable public transport.