• Thursday, March 28, 2024

Business

Modi inaugurates airport at Buddhist pilgrimage site

A view of the new Kushinagar International Airport which was inaugurated by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi in Kushinagar in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, October 20, 2021. (ANI Photo)

By: Shubham Ghosh

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (20), in an apparent push to his government’s Buddhist tourism circuit initiative, inaugurated an international airport in Kushinagar in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. He also said on the occasion that a slew of measures is being undertaken to boost the country’s aviation sector.

The newly inaugurated airport saw as its maiden flight a Sri Lankan Airlines plane carrying scores of Buddhist monks and dignitaries from the island-nation touching down around 9 am local time. The monks brought with them relics of Lord Buddha and were welcomed by various central ministers and Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of the state. The airport has the longest runway (3,200 metres) among all airports in Uttar Pradesh and will handle eight flights every hour.

ALSO READ: No safe havens for those who betray nation: Modi

Modi inaugurates airport at Buddhist pilgrimage site
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi at Kushinagar International Airport and he is accompanied by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath (in saffron) and governor Anandiben Patel (extreme left). Indian civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia is seen behind Adityanath. (ANI Photo)
Modi inaugurates airport at Buddhist pilgrimage site
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the Kushinagar International Airport in Kushinagar in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, October 20, 2021. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath (to his left), governor Anandiben Patel (to his right) and other dignitaries are also seen. (ANI Photo)

Uttar Pradesh will go to polls early next year.

Modi launches GatiShakti Master Plan to boost infrastructure

“Development of Kushinagar is one of the key priorities of the UP and central governments,” Modi said while formally inaugurating the airport worth Rs 260 crore (£25 million) at Kushinagar, the final resting place of Lord Gautam Buddha and also an important Buddhist pilgrimage site in India.

Modi inaugurates airport at Buddhist pilgrimage site
Buddhist monks board the inaugural international flight for Kushinagar in Colombo in Sri Lanka on Wednesday, October 20, 2021. (ANI Photo)

The prime minister said the airport, the terminal building of which is spread across 3,600 square metres and which can handle 300 passengers during peak hours, will facilitate connectivity and tourism and will help develop an entire economy ecosystem in the region and create fresh employment opportunities. He also said development of places associated with Lord Buddha and that of Kushinagar are among the top priorities of both the governments in New Delhi and Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh.

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party is in power both at the centre and Uttar Pradesh.

The prime minister in his speech also referred to the recent decision to privatise India’s national carrier Air India, saying the country has taken a big step so that its aviation sector could run professionally and convenience and safety are given priority.

Modi inaugurates airport at Buddhist pilgrimage site
An inside view of Kushinagar International Airport. (ANI Photo)

“This step will give new energy to the aviation sector of India,” he said, besides referring to the reforms related to the opening of defence airspace for civil use.
On the newly launched ‘PM Gatishakti- National Master Plan’ to boost the country’s infrastructure, Modi said this will not only improve the governance but also ensure that infrastructure like roadway, railway or airway support each other and improve each other’s capacity.

Saying that more airport projects are under focus in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said work is on Jewar international airport after Lucknow, Varanasi and Kushinagar. “Apart from that, airport projects are going on in Ayodhya, Aligarh, Azamgarh, Chitrakoot, Moradabad and Shravasti,” he added.

Indian civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said the Kushinagar airport will connect Buddhist pilgrim sites and chief minister Adityanath said work for 11 new airports, including two international aerodromes, are progressing in the state.

Related Stories

Loading