Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday requested Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju to include the Biju Patnaik International Airport here as a stop for the Colombo-Varanasi flight.
“In the recently-held International Buddhist Conclave and other discussions in different forums, the tour operators, academicians and revered monks from Sri lanka have expressed strong desire to come to Odisha to explore the Buddhist heritage sites. However, as there is no ‘direct air connectivity, Sri lankan tourists find it difficult to visit Odisha,” said Patnaik in a letter to the Union Minister.
The Chief Minister further said the Air India has started a flight from Colombo to Varanasi recently which will no doubt be useful in promotion of heritage tourism and in increasing the traffic from Sri lanka into India, Patnaik said halt will help in increasing the tourist footfalls for both Odisha and Varanasi.
“Odisha is a land of rich cultural heritage. Emperor Ashoka converted to Buddhism and spread the message across the world from Odisha. Apart from that the diamond triangle of Buddhist sites has conclusively established that Odisha was an important centre for Buddhism during 3rd century BC,” stated Patnaik.