E-Paper
Emergency Exercise: IAF fighter jets to land on Purvanchal Expressway after 19-month gap
Details of fighter jets supposed to land on the airstrip on Saturday have been kept a secret by the Airforce.
LUCKNOW Indian Air Force fighter jets will touch the airstrip of Purvanchal Expressway again after a gap of 19 months on Saturday (June 24).
While the airstrip on the expressway has been under repair since June 11, Air Force officers have inspected the work being done on the airstrip and checked the arrangements for the programme to be held on Saturday.
Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner (IIDC) and Chairman of Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), Manoj Kumar Singh, said, “Yes, the emergency exercise of the Air Force will begin at 9 am, some of the fighter jets of Air Force are expected to touch the airstrip of Purvanchal Expressway.“
He said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the expressway on 16 November, 2021. Back then, the Air Force had demonstrated its strength here. A 5-km long airstrip has been constructed near Arwal Kiri Karwat village on Purvanchal Expressway.”
Traffic has been diverted on a five-km stretch on Purvanchal Expressway from June 11 to June 25 in view of the maintenance work of the airstrip. The traffic movement was stopped between chainage km 124+700 to km 129+700 on Purvanchal Expressway from 07:00 am on June 11 till midnight on June 25.
DM Sultanpur Jasjeet Singh said, “The preparations for the Emergency exercise of Indian Airforce are completed, all the dividers on the 5-km stretch have been removed, all the wear and tear which had occurred during the 19 months has been repaired, along with officials of UPEIDA. I have inspected the airstrip for the exercise.”
However, details of fighter jets supposed to land on the airstrip on Saturday have been kept a secret by the Airforce, said DM Sultanpur Jasjeet Singh. Adding, “Last time, fighter jets like Sukhoi, Jaguar, and Miraj performed stunts in the sky.”
This time, the Indian Air Force fighter jets are set to perform daredevil landing feats after 19 months here. For this, Air Force officials had directed UPEDA to repair and clean the airstrip.
