Prime Minister is set to inaugurate the Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) on the Moran highway in Assam during his day-long visit on February 14, with the Indian Air Force conducting an air show to demonstrate its operational readiness.

What is the Moran Emergency Landing Facility?

• The Moran Emergency Landing Facility is a 4.2-kilometre stretch of National Highway designed to function as an airstrip during emergencies.
• It allows military and rescue aircraft to land and take off when regular airbases are unavailable.
• Aircraft such as C-130 transport planes and Sukhoi fighter jets have already successfully conducted rehearsals.

Key Features

• Highway-based airstrip with reinforced concrete surface.
• No central divider, enabling use as a runway.
• Capable of handling fighter jets and transport aircraft.
• Designed for defence operations, disaster response and rescue missions.
• The Prime Minister’s aircraft will land and take off directly from the highway, marking a first for the Northeast.

Strategic and Security Significance

• Assam lies close to international borders and sensitive regions, making rapid military deployment crucial.
• Enhances Indian Air Force operational flexibility in the Northeast.
• Strengthens disaster response capacity in flood- and earthquake-prone areas.
• Fits into India’s broader plan of dual-use infrastructure, combining civilian and defence needs.

National Context

• The Indian Air Force has cleared at least 12 National Highways across India as emergency landing airstrips.
• The first highway-based emergency landing facility was inaugurated in 2021 on NH-925A in Rajasthan.
• Moran becomes the first such facility in the Northeast region.

Other Key Events During the Visit

• Inauguration of the Guwahati–North Guwahati bridge.
• Opening of the temporary campus of Indian Institute of Management Guwahati.
• Launch of the National Informatics Centre Data Centre at Amingaon.
• Flagging off of 100 electric buses to promote green urban transport.

One-line wrap

The Moran highway emergency landing facility marks a major leap in Assam’s defence readiness and disaster-response infrastructure.

Exam Hook – 

With reference to highway-based Emergency Landing Facilities in India, consider the following statements:

1. They enable military aircraft to operate from National Highways during emergencies.
2. Moran Emergency Landing Facility is the first such facility in the Northeast.
3. These facilities are meant only for disaster relief and not for defence aircraft.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer: 1 and 2 only

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