Prime Minister Narendra Modi will land on the Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh (UP) in an IAF plane on November 16. Later, fighter jets, including Mirage and SU-30s, will also land and take off from the expressway.
Certain sections of the expressways in India are now earmarked for emergency landing and taking-off planes. The concept originated from Germany during World War Two when it identified certain portions of its highway or autobahn.
Recently, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated a highway near Barmer in Rajasthan by landing at the road in a C-130 J Hercules transport plane of the IAF. The Government has earmarked more than 20 such emergency landing strips on the various highways.
The same aircraft will ferry the Prime Minister to the Purvanchal Expressway and land there.
Modi will then inaugurate the 340-km long six-lane Expressway.
Immediately after the inauguration, Mirage and SU-30s will make multiple takeoffs from an 3.3-km stretch developed for allowing fighter aircraft to make emergency landings near the Sultanpur district. Modi and other dignitaries will witness the event.
The expressway will connect State Capital Lucknow with eastern districts, including Mau, Azamgarh, Barabanki with links to major cities of Prayagraj and Varanasi.
The Prime Minister had laid the foundation of the expressway on July 2018.
The expressway will have seven major bridges, seven railway overbridges, 114 minor bridges and 271 under passes. Police vehicles, cattle catcher vehicle and ambulance will be deployed for safety and medical emergencies.
