PM Modi to land on Assam highway airstrip on Feb 14; Rafale, Sukhois to follow

Guwahati, Feb 5: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Assam on February 14 is set to be an unprecedented one, with his aircraft slated to land on the Northeast’s first highway-based emergency landing strip on the Dibrugarh–Moran stretch.

“The Prime Minister will not land at the Dibrugarh airport. Instead, his flight will land on a highway at Moran and spend some time there,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, on the sidelines of the launch of the BJP’s Booth Vijay Abhiyan at Azara, on Thursday.

Sarma said a special aerial display has also been planned as part of the visit.

“Fighter aircraft, including Rafale and Sukhoi jets that were seen during the Guwahati air show, will land on the road in his presence,” he said, adding that the demonstration would last for around 30 to 40 minutes.

Although vehicular movement is currently permitted on the Dibrugarh–Moran stretch, the designated runway portion has been kept clear and operationally ready.

Central dividers along the stretch have been removed to facilitate aircraft operations, while fencing has been installed on both sides of the road to prevent the entry of people and animals during flight activity. Temporary roadside shops have also been removed as part of safety measures.

The Chief Minister said the Prime Minister’s visit would have multiple objectives. “The Prime Minister’s visit will have multiple objectives, both developmental and organisational,” Sarma said.

As per the itinerary, Modi will first inaugurate the Kumar Bhaskar Varma bridge connecting Guwahati and North Guwahati, a long-pending project expected to significantly ease traffic congestion and improve connectivity across the Brahmaputra.

He will also formally inaugurate academic classes at the Palasbari campus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), marking a major milestone for higher education in the state.

In addition, Modi will flag off 100 electric buses for Guwahati as part of efforts to strengthen public transport and inaugurate a new data centre developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to boost digital infrastructure in the region.

After completing the inaugurations, the Prime Minister will attend a BJP booth sammelan at Khanapara, where he is expected to interact with party workers and grassroots-level leaders.

Sarma also said the Prime Minister will visit Assam again in March to inaugurate a series of infrastructure and development projects.

The February-14 visit will be Modi’s 38th visit to Assam in the past 11 years.