Indigo To Start Direct Flights Between Gaya And Bangkok; Bihar Govt To Provide Rs 10.4 Crore Support for It

Patna: Tourists will soon be able to fly from Bihar to Thailand’s capital, Bangkok. The state government has given its nod to IndiGo Airlines to start the international flight, and would provide Rs 10.4 crore as a grant to support it for 12 months. A decision in this regard was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary in Patna on Wednesday. The flight would connect Bodh Gaya and Bangkok.

“Messrs Interglobe Aviation Limited (Indigo Airlines) has been selected on the basis of nomination to provide services on the Gayaji – Bangkok route, as it was the only company to bid for it. This has been done under the policy to increase air connectivity and provide non-stop flights between new international destinations,” Cabinet Secretariat Department Additional Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar Chaudhary said.

“The state government will provide Rs 10.4 crore as ‘viability gap funding’ to the airlines for a maximum of 12 months,” Arvind added. Viability Gap Funding is a government grant or incentive intended to support beneficial public infrastructure projects that are economically justified, but fall short of financial viability for private investors or companies. It bridges the shortfall between cost and commercial returns, and is often used to attract private investment and players to new sectors.

Incidentally, Gayaji is famous for Bodh Gaya, where the Mahabodhi Temple is located. It marks the place where Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment to become ‘the Buddha’ or the enlightened one. It is considered the most important pilgrimage destination for Buddhists across the globe and attracts a sizeable number of them every year.

However, there have been no regular international flights between the Gaya International Airport, though a few airlines from Southeast Asian countries operate flights during winter, which is considered the most suitable season for pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya.

Also, Gayaji and its Vishnupad Temple are the most sacred pilgrimage destinations for the Hindus for offering final prayers and tributes to the deceased parents, relatives and ancestors, and pray for their ‘moksha’ or liberation. The ‘pind daan’ (last oblations) are offered along with the prayers.

“Direct air connectivity between the Gaya International Airport and Bangkok will facilitate and increase the flow of foreign tourists, especially the Buddhist pilgrims, to Bihar. A large number of tourists from Thailand come to India every year to visit Buddhist pilgrimage sites, among which Bodh Gaya and other places in Bihar are very important. The flight services will give impetus to Buddhist tourism and tourist activities in the state,” state civil aviation department secretary Nilesh Ramchandra Deore said in the cabinet note.

Nilesh added that the arrival of tourists will also encourage transport, hospitality, handicraft, local trade and other economic activities, and will lead to economic development along with employment opportunities.

In another major decision, the state cabinet gave its nod to a proposal by the water resources department (WRD) to construct a water reservoir on around 324 acres of land belonging to the Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA).

The water reservoir will have a capacity of 8.5 million cubic metres (MCM) and will provide 19 million litres per day (MLD) to the Integrated Manufacturing Cluster (ICM) being developed there. It will fulfil the estimated demand for water for the industries located there.

Water for the reservoir will be sourced from the Lilanjan or Niranjan river, which is a seasonal (monsoonal) river, with the help of a canal. The intake of water will be for 40 days and will be stored to serve around the year. “The reservoir project would be completed in 18 months and would be helpful for the growth of industrial activities,” WRD principal secretary Santosh Kumar Mall said in the cabinet note.

The ICM is to be established on 1300 acres of land as a part of the Amritsar – Kolkata Industrial Corridor, which is being developed along the dedicated Eastern Freight Corridor by the central government to promote investment in manufacturing, agricultural processing, services, and export-oriented units. The cabinet discussed and approved a total of 13 agendas.

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