Lucknow, Jan 17 (Reporter) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday inaugurated the Air India Express flight services between Ayodhya, Kolkata and Bengaluru on Wednesday through video conferencing from his official residence in Lucknow. During this, the CM said that Ayodhya is becoming a prominent city for tourists in India and globally. "Ayodhya already has a large number of local devotees, but considering the excitement nationwide, efforts have been made to facilitate the arrival of pilgrims here. The work done by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in this regard is commendable," he said. He expressed gratitude to Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and General VK Singh for their special focus on enhancing Uttar Pradesh's connectivity, providing all possible support. "Under the leadership of PM Modi, UP has shown excellent results in this direction, not only welcoming new airports in the past 9 years but also becoming a significant state in terms of air connectivity with 4 international airports," he said. Yogi said that on December 30, PM Modi inaugurated the Maharshi Valmiki International Airport in Ayodhya, marking a milestone. He expressed his pleasure for the commencement of flight services between Ayodhya as well as Kolkata and Bengaluru after the starting of air connectivity between Ayodhya as well as Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. He said that Ayodhya not only symbolises India's ancient faith but Lord Shri Ram is also an embodiment of the pursuit of human beings for 'dharma', 'artha', 'kama' and 'moksha'. "There is eagerness and enthusiasm throughout the country for Lord Ram's arrival in Ayodhya," he said. The CM said, "Six years ago, 4-lane connectivity, doubling of the railway line, starting of cruise services in the sacred Sarayu River and an international airport only existed in one's imagination. Today, it's a reality that all these services are available in Ayodhya. Success in implementing these owes much to the guidance and leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the efficiency and decisiveness of the double-engine government, and the crucial role played by local representatives." He said that the UP government has already allocated 821 acres of land to the Ministry of Civil Aviation in Ayodhya. "Currently, 500 pilgrims can utilize the ground facility simultaneously and 8 aircraft can land there. Parking facilities have also been provided. Keeping in mind the future possibilities outlined in the plan by the Civil Aviation Ministry, the state government will actively support the entire programme," he said. Yogi expressed joy that with the commencement of air services between Bengaluru and Ayodhya, it would be easier to bring Lord Hanuman's message to Ayodhya from Karnataka. The programme was attended by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of State General Dr VK Singh, Ayodhya's Incharge Minister Surya Pratap Shahi, local MP Lallu Singh, Chief Commercial Officer of Air India Ankur Garg, State Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra and Additional Chief Secretary of Civil Aviation SP Goyal, along with dignitaries from Air India Express and Ayodhya via video conferencing...////...