The New Indian Express News

Indias first nature-themed airport terminal to open in Guwahati, PM Modi to inaugurate on Saturday

GUWAHATI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday embark on a two-day visit to Assam, during which he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for projects worth Rs 15,600 crore. On December 20, he will inaugurate the new terminal building of Lokpriya Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport in Guwahati, marking a transformative milestone in Assams connectivity, economic expansion and global engagement. Spread over nearly 1.4 lakh square metres, the terminal building is designed to handle up to 1.3 crore passengers annually, supported by major upgrades to the runway, airfield systems, aprons and taxiways. Indias first nature-themed airport terminal, the airports design draws inspiration from Assams biodiversity and cultural heritage under the theme Bamboo Orchids. The terminal makes pioneering use of about 140 metric tonnes of locally sourced Northeast bamboo, complemented by Kaziranga-inspired green landscapes, japi motifs, the iconic rhino symbol and 57 orchid-inspired columns reflecting the Kopou flower. A unique Sky Forest, featuring nearly one lakh plants of indigenous species, offers arriving passengers an immersive, forest-like experience. The terminal sets new benchmarks in passenger convenience and digital innovation. Features such as full-body scanners for fast, non-intrusive security screening, DigiYatra-enabled contactless travel, automated baggage handling, fast-track immigration and AI-driven airport operations ensure seamless, secure and efficient journeys. On December 21, Modi will visit the Swahid Smarak Kshetra to pay homage to the martyrs of the historic Assam Movement, a six-year-long peoples movement that embodied the collective resolve for a foreigner-free Assam and the protection of the states identity. Later in the day, the PM will perform bhoomi pujan of the new brownfield Ammonia-Urea Fertilizer Project at Namrup, Dibrugarh, within the existing premises of Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Limited. Furthering the PMs vision of farmers welfare, the project, with an estimated investment of over Rs 10,600 crore, will meet fertilizer requirements of Assam and neighbouring states, reduce import dependence, generate substantial employment and catalyse regional economic development. It stands as a cornerstone of industrial revival and farmer welfare.