Bihar legislature passes resolution for renaming Gaya airport as Buddha Int'l Airport

Patna (Bihar, India) Dec 5 (PTI) The legislature of Bihar today passed a resolution for renaming the Gaya international airport in the eastern Indian state as Bhagwan (Lord) Buddha International Airport to mark the 2,600th year of attainment of enlightenment of Lord Buddha. The members passed the resolution unanimously by a voice vote after Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary put the motion for voting in the Legislative Assembly. Introducing the resolution in the post-lunch session, state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said renaming the airport will boost religious tourism to Gaya which has the world-famous Mahabodhi temple and tree. He also stressed for development of world-class infrastructure at the airport with the air service being a preferred mode of journey by the Buddhist pilgrims who hire chartered flights to visit the Mahabodhi temple and other Buddhist pilgrimage sites. Kumar said the adoption of the resolution by the Assembly with a like resolution already adopted by the Legislative Council, the state's upper house, was culmination of his efforts to get the Gaya international airport named after Lord Buddha as the Centre had asked the state government to submit a proposal in this regard after a resolution passed to this effect by the two houses of the state legislature. PTI