Watch | Lucknow-Agra Expressway inauguration: Air Force jets land on the 302-km stretch

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav inaugurated Agra-Lucknow Expressway on Monday, wherein fighter planes touched down to mark its grand opening ceremony. Agra-Lucknow Expressway, which stretch 302-km, is the most ambitious project of Akhilesh Yadav.

It has been completed in a record time of 22 month and has cost of Rs 13,200 crore.  It will be open for public in December this year.

Fighter jets touched Agra-Lucknow expressway on its inauguration on Monday, a day chosen to commemorate the birthday of ruling Samajwadi Party patriarch’s 78th birthday on Tuesday. 

Watch:Air Force jets touch down on Lucknow-Agra Expressway   

#WATCH Unnao: IAF Mirage 2000 jets touch down on Agra-Lucknow expressway pic.twitter.com/xiZtjzZzHy

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) November 21, 2016

Generally a grand fiesta for party workers, Mulayam Singh Yadav has cancelled all other birthday celebrations in view of the Kanpur train tragedy which claimed at least 133 lives on Sunday. 

According to reports, 11 Indian Air Force (IAF) jets will land and take-off from the expressway to test the quality of build. These jet fighters will release tri-coloured smoke.

The government is looking to build highways across the country that can also serve as landing strips or runways for aircraft, both civil and military. Road and Transport minister Nitin Gadkari has spoken of the government’s plan to come up with an ‘airport’, in which the highway can be used both by vehicles and airplanes. The ‘airport’ is reportedly being built in Rajasthan.   

The Agra-Lucknow expressway will pass through Unnao, Kannauj, Etawah, Mainpuri and Firozabad. It will also shrink the travel time between Agra and Lucknow to just four hours.

Akhilesh Yadav speech during inauguration: 

#Request people to stay within safe limits and not go beyond 100kmph 

#The expressway has become reality only with the blessings of Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav)

#Ballia-Ghazipur expressway now on cards

#This is first expressway where airplanes can do landing and takeoff during emergency too

#People will remember Samajwadi Party for its work