This story is from June 25, 2020

Game-changer: Kushinagar airport takes a global leap

Hours after the Union cabinet green-flagged construction of an international airport in Kushinagar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said,
Game-changer: Kushinagar airport takes a global leap
Representative image
LUCKNOW: Hours after the Union cabinet green-flagged construction of an international airport in Kushinagar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said, the move would not only fast-track development of eastern UP, but also bring the Buddhist circuit on the global tourist map. After Jewar in Noida, Kushinagar will be the second site for an international airport in the state.

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“Great news for Uttar Pradesh, tourism and those inspired by noble thoughts of Lord Buddha. Kushinagar airport will now be an international airport. Connectivity will improve significantly. More tourists and pilgrims will mean better opportunities for the local population,” Modi tweeted.
The project, which was pending for over a decade, has a 3.2km airstrip ready. During Mayawati’s stint as chief minister, the airport was associated with the ambitious Maitreya project that envisaged a mammoth statue of Buddha. While the Maitreya project was shelved, citing financial unviability, Kushinagar airport too was put on the backburner.
After BJP stormed to power in 2017, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with Airport Authority of India (AAI) on March 5, 2019, for development of the airport. Earlier, the state government acquired 590acre and released Rs 190crore for the project. This included construction of 3.2km long and 45m wide runway and an Air Traffic Controller (ATC) tower. Under the arrangement, the state government agreed to hand over possession of land and other properties to AAI. The process began on October 4, 2019.

Yogi said, an international airport in Kushinagar, where Lord Buddha attained ‘Nirvana’, would be a game-changer for east UP, besides enhancing easy access to Buddhist circuit of Sarnath, Shrawasti, Kapilvastu, Kaushambi, Sankisa and Lumbini, birth place of Buddha.
The chief minister said, the state government was working to develop Buddhist circuit to help tourists reach cities associated with Buddha’s life.
Civil aviation department officials said, the project, which is expected to be executed with the help of Airport Authority of India (AAI), would allow followers of Buddhism from Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Taiwan to easily touchdown in cities on the Buddha trail. Yogi said, the step would not lend a fillip to the tourism industry, but also create employment opportunities.
Last year, the state government managed to push through the green-field airport at Jewar in Greater Noida. It was not only seen as an alternative to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, but also an air connectivity booster in west UP. The Jewar airport, which is being developed by Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) too had been languishing for two decades.
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