The swathe of land for the estimated Rs 300-crore project has been acquired by nodal agency UPEIDA

By VIRENDRA SINGH RAWAT

LUCKNOW, Oct 1 (The CONNECT) - Revving up the prospects of UP Defence Corridor, the Uttar Pradesh government has completed the acquisition of about 80 hectares of land for the greenfield advanced missile unit of BrahMos Aerospace.

The swathe of land for the estimated Rs 300-crore project has been acquired by nodal agency UP Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) in Lucknow district.

Now, the state government plans to allot the land to BrahMos for consideration of a token amount, given the importance of the project for national security.

According to sources, the company is expected to start the civil work within three months of land allotment. The project is estimated to create 5,500 fresh job opportunities, while the ancillary supply chain would create an additional 10,000 employment.

According to UPEIDA CEO Awanish Kumar Awasthi, the land allotment requires the approval of the state government and the process would take a few days to pass muster.

On August 24, BrahMos Aerospace CEO and managing director Sudhir Kumar Mishra had called on UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow to brief him about the expansion plans.

BrahMos is a joint venture between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and NPOM, Russia, to develop next generation supersonic missiles for the Indian defence forces.

All the three wings of the Indian defence forces - the Army, the Air Force and the Navy - have already inducted the advanced weapon system of BrahMos.

The UP Defence Corridor, which spans six nodes viz. Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi, Chitrakoot, Aligarh and Agra, is estimated to attract public and private sector investment to the tune of Rs 50,000 crore.