Stakeholders have pointed out that international flights, main road network and policy reforms should be emphasized in Bhairahawa to promote religious and cultural tourism in Lumbini province. They said that Lumbini could not get the expected benefits from tourism due to lack of full utilization of existing infrastructure, delay in construction work, policy ambiguity and short-sightedness.

In the 'Power of Lumbini' program organized by Kantipur Media Group in Bhairahawa on Wednesday, the speaker said that Lumbini has the power to save the entire country and lead to economic prosperity. The keynote speaker, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel said that for the prosperity of Lumbini, there is no alternative to the full operation of Gautam Buddha International Airport and the construction of other infrastructure quickly. "In the beginning, there was a dispute about whether an international airport was needed or not, it was said that it could not be completed while it was being built," he said, "Now it cannot be fully operational again, it is said that the investment has been wasted." But this is not true. Now it will operate at full capacity soon.' 

Finance Minister Paudel said that he will bring a package of special discount facilities for international airlines to increase international flights from Bhairahawa. "Discussions are being held with various international airlines for that," he added. He claimed that all the construction will be completed in the next one year. "The effect of political instability has been seen in various areas of social, economic and livelihood," he said, adding, "The work has not picked up speed either." As a result, many did not believe that this road would be built.' 

Finance Minister Paudel said that there are problems throughout the country in terms of infrastructure construction. "We have failed to complete the work on time by making a calendar. Moreover, the project is never completed at the projected cost, nor is the quality work done. "All these problems have been identified and work has been started for improvement," he said. He informed that the contract for the road section from Butwal to Gorusinge has been awarded and the construction of the Gorusinge-Chandrauta section has already started. He said that there is no problem like Narayangadh-Butwal road on this road. Minister Paudel informed that the work on infrastructure such as Kaligandaki-Tinau Diversion, Naumure Multi-Purpose Project has progressed. "Road connectivity is challenging, air transport facility is available, but sometimes due to weather and sometimes due to management, passengers have not been able to reach their destination on time," he said. He also mentioned that even though an international airport has been built in Pokhara, commercial international flights have not been operated.

Chairman of Kantipur Media Group Kailash Sirohia emphasized that there should be regular international flights from Gautam Buddha International Airport to change the lives of citizens of Lumbini region. "I have a special request to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Chief Minister of Lumbini, Director General of Civil Aviation Authority - to take all measures for the operation of this airport which will contribute significantly not only to Lumbini but also to the economy of the country," he said.

Sirohia said that the government of Nepal should take appropriate diplomatic initiatives with India and open a direct air route for Gautam Budh International Airport. There is definitely a desire for more tourists to come here. But it is very difficult for tourists to come to this beautiful city from outside. There are no scheduled flights from Kathmandu. Waiting for hours at the airport has become normal," he said. "Butwal-Narayangadh road is a big challenge for those coming by road. Delay in construction of Butwal-Narayangadh road is a big example of negligence in our development construction. The recent progress on this road section has been good, but there is no reason to stop the construction again.'

Sirohia emphasized that the road should be built so that vehicles can pass at a fast speed for the development of tourism in Lumbini. Don't destroy the road, if it has to be demolished for further expansion, build it as soon as possible after the demolition. Build road infrastructure in this city that can be easily accessed from destinations like Kathmandu, Chitwan, Pokhara,' he added, 'because the world community is longing to see Lumbini.' Businessmen complained that billions of investments are going to sink due to non-operation of international flights at the airport. They also warned that they will go on strike if international flights are not regularized. 

 The coordinator of Hotel Association Nepal Lumbini Province, Chandra Prakash (CP) Shrestha, accused the government itself of not showing interest in the operation of the airport in the session called 'Lumbini's Call: International Flight' under the 'Lumbini's Strength' program. "Government itself did not operate this airport because of the opinion of some people in Kathmandu," he said, "Jazeera Airlines operated international flights to Kuwait from Bhairawa Airport for 8 months, after which it was closed." After the foundation stone of the airport was laid, the businessmen here invested 80 billion rupees and built a hotel. The government also invested 40 billion rupees to build the airport. Now both investments are sinking.' 

Mentioning that 660 million Hindus gathered at the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj recently, Shrestha criticized the government's tourism policy saying that Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, has not brought even 5 million tourists. He said that mostly Buddhists and Indian tourists come to Lumbini through the border, but the immigration office takes up to 6 hours to get the visa. He suggested that the services of the immigration office should be improved as soon as possible to bring more tourists into Nepal. 

Former Chief Minister of Lumbini Province Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary said that there was a problem in the operation of the airport due to the lack of will to work in the policy-makers. "This problem cannot be solved as long as the trend of talking sweet things but not working continues," he said. The finance minister is from this area. He said that the Prime Minister is also positive. If so, who has stopped it from starting tomorrow?

Chowdhury said that the province does not recognize the airport in Lumbini and the local residents also do not feel a sense of ownership. He said that Gautam Budh Airport is yet to be connected with other airports in Kailali, Dang, Rukum. "There are many things to be connected with Lumbini, the first thing is to be connected with the common people here," he said, "Not only Buddhists, many Hindus also want to come here." 200 investors including 18 Nobel laureates tried to come but we could not bring them. The situation where the central government does not give up ownership even when it gives up, and does not give anything to the province should end.' 

Civil Aviation Authority Director General Pradeep Adhikari opined that the operation of the airport will be based on cooperation. Giving examples of countries like China and Turkey, he said that after the construction of a new airport, traffic is managed at the capital or central airport and the same strategy is needed in Nepal. "The airport is not a matter that can be run by only one person, all components of GDP (gross domestic product) come to be connected to it," he said. It should be looked at as a whole.' The authority has adopted a policy of not charging fees for landing, parking, navigation and passenger services until 2083 for the promotion of Bhairahawa Airport, the official informed. According to him, because there is no visa center at Bhairahawa airport, international flight operations have not been effective. He said that it has become more difficult to travel from Bhairahawa as the beneficiaries have to go to Kathmandu for the worker visa.