PM Modi Inaugurates 341-Km Purvanchal Expressway In UP After Landing On Its Airstrip In IAF Plane

Sultanpur (UP), Nov 16 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the 341-km Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh after landing on the highway airstrip in an IAF C-130 Hercules plane.

Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath received the Prime Minister at the airstrip.

The 3.2-km airstrip has been constructed on the expressway to facilitate emergency landing of fighter aircraft.

The 341-km expressway links state capital Lucknow with Ghazipur and has been constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 22,500 crore.

"Those who have any doubt on capabilities of Uttar Pradesh, on capabilities of people of UP should come to Sultanpur today to witness their capability. Such a modern expressway has now come up where it was just a piece of land 3-4 years back," ANI quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi as saying after inaugurating Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur.

"For the all-round development of the country, the balanced development of the country is equally important. Some areas marching ahead in the race of development and some areas lagging decades behind isn't right for any country," PM Modi further said.

PM Modi also took a dig at the previous chief ministers of the state, saying that for them, "the development was limited to where their family was, their home was".

"But today, as much as the demand of the west, there is a priority for Purvanchal as well. Purvanchal Expressway is bridging this gap in Uttar Pradesh today," he added.

Launching an attack on the Opposition, PM Modi said, "The government before Yogi ji did injustice to people of Uttar Pradesh. The manner in which they discriminated in development, the manner in which they did welfare of only their family - people of Uttar Pradesh will permanently remove them from the path of the state's development, you did this in 2017."

The Purvanchal Expressway starts from village Chaudsarai located on Lucknow-Sultanpur road (NH-731) and ends at village Hydaria located on National Highway number 31, 18 km east of UP-Bihar border.

The expressway is six-lane wide which can be expanded to eight-lane in future.

Constructed at an estimated cost of about Rs 22,500 crore, the Purvanchal Expressway is going to give a boost to the economic development of eastern part of Uttar Pradesh especially the districts of Lucknow, Barabanki, Amethi, Ayodhya, Sultanpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Mau and Ghazipur, an official statement said.