Kushinagar, a boon to UP

Kushinagar International Airport’s launch will fuel Buddhist Circuit and create employment opportunities in the region, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the grand inauguration ceremony.

Nisha Verma

The much-awaited Kushinagar International Airport was finally inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi, who on the occasion said that the new airport is a tribute to the devotion of the Buddhist society around the world.

In his address, Modi said that India is paying special attention to develop the places associated with Lord Buddha through better connectivity and creation of facilities for the devotees. “The development of Kushinagar is one of the key priorities of the UP government and the Central government. It is near to other Buddhist sites like Lumbini, Kapilvastu, Sarnath and Bodh Gaya. Therefore, this region is going to become a centre of faith and attraction, not only for Buddhists of India but also for citizens of other countries like Sri Lanka, Thailand, Singapore, Laos, Cambodia, Japan and Korea,” he claimed. Welcoming the first Sri Lankan flight and the delegation of monks that landed at Kushinagar, he said, “This flight is a tribute to this holy land.”

Boost to economy
Modi claimed that Kushinagar International Airport will not only become a medium of air connectivity but will also create new employment opportunities for the youth of this region. “A complete ecosystem of business and trading will develop here. Tourism, taxi drivers, small businessmen in hotels and restaurants will reap the maximum benefits,” he added.

Infrastructure & Tourism
Modi emphasised that modern infrastructure is very important for tourism in all its forms, whether for faith or for leisure. “Infrastructure is its pre-condition. Modern infrastructure complete with rail, road, airways, waterways, hotels, hospitals, internet connectivity, hygiene, sewage and renewable energy ensuring a clean environment, are interconnected and it is important to work on all these simultaneously,” he said. “Also, India’s rapid progress of vaccination will create confidence in the foreign tourists that India is widely vaccinated, and it is safe for tourism or for work,” he adds.

17 airports in UP
The PM announced that under the UDAN scheme, over 900 new routes have been approved in the last few years, out of which air service has already started on more than 350 routes. “More than 50 new airports or those which were not in service earlier, have been made operational. Plans are afoot to create a network of more than 200 airports, heliports and seaplanes in the country in the next three-four years,” he highlights.

Stressing that air connectivity is constantly improving in Uttar Pradesh, he says, “In UP, eight airports are already functional before Kushinagar airport.

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.

Air India
Claiming that the recent move of the government to privatise Air India, which resulted in the national carrier going back to TATA group, the PM said, “This step will give new energy to the aviation sector of India. One such major reform is related to the opening of the defence airspace for civil use. With this decision, distance and time of air travel has reduced on many air routes,” he avers.

Strength of connectivity
Referring to the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, he informs, “It will not only improve governance, but also ensure that all modes of transport such as road, rail, air etc should support each other and increase each other’s capacity. It is the result of these reforms that 1,000 new aircraft will be added to the sector.”

He concludes, “India’s aviation sector will become a symbol of nation’s progress and the energy of UP will also be involved in it.”