Bhubaneswar, Feb. 11: The state government is planning to bring the Mahaparinirvan Express to the state again to promote Buddhist sites in Odisha.

An effort has also been made to restore Bhuba-neswar's airlink with Varanasi and Bodh Gaya.

Tourism minister Ashok Chandra Panda today said while the state government had already initiated talks with the railway board and the East Coast Railway to bring the special train to the state, GoAir had shown interest in starting flights to Varanasi and Bodh Gaya after procuring more aircraft for the purpose.

"The state government is also considering making the route a good business proposition for the airlines by ensuring that a certain number of seats are paid for everyday. It would be an underwriting to buy certain seats, which would act as an incentive," said Panda.

The tourism minister made these announcements at a press conference called ahead of the third international conference on Buddhist heritage of Odisha to be held in the city from February 13. The last two meets were held at Ratnagiri in Jajpur district.

In 1994, Air India dropped Bhubaneswar from its Varanasi link, while the Mahaparinirvan Express, connecing major Buddhist sites in northern and central India came to Odisha only once in 2013.

The lack of infrastructure at the famous cradle of Buddhist heritage site of Odisha - Ratnagiri, Udayagiri, Lalitgiri and Langudi in Jajpur district - was evident when the conference venue was shifted to Bhubaneswar. This was even indirectly admitted by tourism secretary Arabinda Padhee.

"We have shifted the venue after the delegates argued in favour of Bhubaneswar. However, they want to visit the sites in between. This year, the field tour to the Buddhist sites will be organised on Saturday with tea-break and lunch at Pathrajpur and Toshali complex at Ratnagiri, respectively,"Padhee said.

Speaking on the highlights of the conference, Padhee said that Sri Lanka with its ancient links with the Kalinga Empire would be in focus with participation of cultural troupes from the island nation. Experts from the field of tourism, research and marketing in Buddhism-related operations will attend the conference. Business to business (B2B) sessions with tour operators will also be on the agenda.

When asked about the quarrying on the hills around the famous sites of the Buddhist triangle (Ratnagiri, Udaygiri and Lalitgiri), the tourism secretary, who was once district magistrate of Jajpur, said: "Steps have already been taken to stop the practice. We will take up the issue once again."

Regarding safety of tourists, the minister said the tourism police cell would be given a beautiful dress code in near future. There will be three such cells in Bhubaneswar (Dhauli, Khandagiri and Nandankanan), Puri, Konark, Gopalpur, Chandipur and Satapada. The first cell was inaugurated in Puri last week.