Purvanchal Expressway will speed up UP's development: PM

Air show marks occasion

Two Sukhoi Su 30MKI fighters, Mirage 2000, Jaguars, one Soviet-era Antonov An-32 transport aircraft and three Kiran jets (from the IAF’s aerobatic team “Surya Kiran”) on Tuesday took part in an air show during the inauguration of the Purvabnchal Expressway that includes a 3.2-km-long airstrip for emergency use by the IAF. Lasting over 50 minutes, the air show consisted of a spectacular vertical climb and roll by Sukhoi, dropping off of elite special forces commandos by a AN-32 transport aircraft for a mock mission, “touch and go” by fighters, and a fly-past in arrowhead formation by three Kiran jets flanked by two Sukhoi jets

Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 16

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the Purvanchal Expressway would speed up Uttar Pradesh’s journey toward a bright future.

He was speaking after inaugurating the over 340-km-long six-lane state-of the-art road built at a cost of Rs 22,500 crore. A 3.2-km-long airstrip made as part of the road for emergency use by the IAF was used today for landing the C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft onboard which Modi arrived to attend the inaugural function.

The function was held at Karwal Kheri in Sultanpur district of UP. The road passes through the area. The expressway connects Lucknow with Ghjazipur (touching the eastern UP districts of Barabanki, Amethi, Ayodhya, Sultanpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh and Mau en route).

The PM said the project would attract food-processing, agro-based and pharmaceutical industries. Twenty-one sites have been already booked for the purpose, he said. He described the expressway as a symbol of the “new UP”.

He said previous governments in UP had indulged in petty politics and did not pay attention to overall development of the state. Without naming the Samajwadi Party, ruling BJP’s main political rival in the state, PM Modi said, “Mafia called the shots in eastern part of the state and no attempt was made to uplift ordinary people.”

Taking a dig at PM Modi, former Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha tweeted, “I shall strongly recommend that in future all visits of PM Modi for campaigning for elections in UP should be accompanied by Republic Day type of military parade along with a fly-past by the air force, all at the cost of the govt.”