UP proposes airport on Buddhist circuit

New Delhi/Lucknow : To boost tourism and regional development in Uttar Pradesh, the state government has floated the idea of an international airport at Kushinagar and improving infrastructure on the Buddhist circuit.
Although the circuit covering Sarnath, Kushinagar, Sankisa, Kaushambi, Shravasti and Kapilvastu attracts pilgrims and backpackers from all over the world, especially Japan and South East Asian countries, the immense potential of the circuit is still to be unlocked due to government apathy and lack of infrastructure facilities.
The state government has invited bids from reputed consultancy firms for preparing a comprehensive project report, bid documents and a concession agreement for the development of an international airport at Kushinagar and integrated development of the Buddhist circuit in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode on a design-build-finance-operate-transfer (DBFOT) basis.
The last date for sending the bids is August 22, and the qualified consultancy will also subsequently officiate as project management consultant.
At present there is an air strip in Kushinagar, which is used during an emergency. There is another airport in the nearby Gorakhpur district.
Meanwhile, tourism department is holding a pre-bid discussion on August 18 for the interested parties to seek clarification or information regarding the bid.
The Centre is yet to clear the proposal of the UP government to set up an aviation hub at Jewar in Gautam Buddha Nagar.
13/08/08 Virendra Singh Rawat/Business Standard

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Categories: Airports Aug 2008, New Aug 2008