A central panel has given the nod to Uttar Pradesh's proposed international airport at Kushinagar to cater to tourists from countries like Japan and China who want to visit the Buddhist circuit.
A central panel has given the nod to Uttar Pradesh's proposed international airport at Kushinagar to cater to tourists from countries like Japan and China who want to visit the Buddhist circuit.
Giving its approval to the Rs 525 crore proposal, the Environment Appraisal Committee (EAC) of Environment Ministry in a recent meeting also asked the project proponent to incorporate the features of local Buddhist architecture in and around the area of the terminal building.
The Mayawati government has plans to acquire 425 acre of land, including farmland, and develop the Buddhist circuit in a public-private partnership (PPP) mode on a design-build-finance-operate-transfer (DBFOT) basis to boost its tourism sector, sources said.
At present, there is an air strip in Kushinagar, close to Nepal border, and is used in emergencies. However, "poor connectivity to Kushinagar limits the inflow of tourists limiting its potential as an international spiritual tourist destination," the UP government had noted at the meeting.
Kushinagar is a famous destination for Buddhist pilgrims from across the world with almost forty thousand tourists from China, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand and parts of India visiting the holy city every year.
As about 300 trees will be cut down for the purpose, the panel has asked the state government to plan a thick green belt of adequate width all around the airport site, especially near the settlements to mitigate noise and vibration.
"The identification of species and plants shall be made based on botanical studies. No fruit tree shall be planted near the airport site," to prevent bird-hits, the panel said.
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