Odisha wants visa to be issued in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, May 26: The central government has asked the government to introduce a visa for Colombo-Varanasi flight from Air India to increase the tourist center in the state. The Chief Minister wrote separate letters to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Civil Aviation Minister A. Gajapathi Raju in this regard. Highlighting that Odisha has established international connectivity with Air Asia, that started its operations between Bhubaneswar and Kuala Lumpur, Patnaik said it has received good response from the Indian citizens travelling abroad through Bhubaneswar.

A sizeable number of foreign arrivals have also been noticed, he added. "In order to facilitate the travel of arriving tourists, it is requested that Bhubaneswar be included as a Visa on Arrival station for citizens of eligible nations," Patnaik said in a letter to Swaraj. In a separate letter to Raju, the Chief Minister said Bhubaneswar may be included as a stop for the Colombo-Varanasi flight. He said the just launched Air India flight from Colombo to Varanasi, would be useful in promotion of heritage tourism and in increasing the traffic from Sri Lanka into India.

"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 of Buddhism during 3 BC," said Patnaik. Various meetings, tour operators, academics, monks honored from Sri Lanka, and also during the international bilateral meeting, which is intent on coming to Orissa to explore Buddhist sites, he said. "However, as there is no direct air connectivity, Sri Lankan tourist find it difficult to visit Odisha," he said". To meet this strong and arbitrary demand, I will ask that I can retain Bhubaneswar for Colombo-Varanasi aircraft. It will help boost tourism camps for both Odisha and Varanasi, "he said.