Context:
A 3.5-km stretch of the Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur is set to become the country’s first expressway equipped with a night landing facility for Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets, as per the Uttar Pradesh government.
More on News:
- An airshow is scheduled to take place on this airstrip on May 2 and 3, with a night landing demonstration planned on the Ganga Expressway in the presence of the Chief Minister.
- The UP Chief Minister, during an inspection of the airstrip in Shahjahanpur, stated that the Ganga Expressway will be a milestone in Uttar Pradesh’s development, with construction scheduled for completion by November 2025.
- Around 250 CCTV cameras will be installed along both sides of the airstrip to enhance security, ensure safe passage, and facilitate swift police response to any suspicious activity.
- From an operational standpoint, this expressway holds greater importance for the IAF than the two other airstrips on the Lucknow-Agra and Purvanchal Expressways.
- Uttar Pradesh now has three expressways equipped with fighter jet landing facilities – the Lucknow-Agra, Purvanchal, and Ganga Expressways.
- Among them, the Ganga Expressway is the first in the country to feature night landing capabilities for fighter jets.
- The Shahjahanpur airstrip on this expressway can accommodate landings and take-offs by Air Force jumbo carriers.
- The Chief Minister announced the extension of the Ganga Expressway from Prayagraj to Ghazipur, aiming to boost regional connectivity and improve travel convenience.
- The expressway will extend from Meerut to Haridwar and from Prayagraj to Ghazipur, significantly enhancing regional connectivity, with the state government already allocating ₹50 crore in this year’s budget for the project.
- The Chief Minister announced that a link expressway from Farrukhabad will connect the Ganga Expressway to Bundelkhand, further improving intra-state connectivity.