Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray.
Credit: PTI Photo
Navi Mumbai: Months before the commissioning of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) on Monday asked why the Centre has not yet cleared the Maharashtra government’s proposal to name the airport after late D B Patil.
The late lawyer, politician, farmers’ leader and social activist Dinkar Balu Patil (13 January 1926 – 24 June 2013), popularly known as D B Patil, commanded a tremendous respect in the Raigad area of coastal Konkan belt.
The Navi Mumbai Project Affected People (PAP) and members of the Agri-Koli community have held large protests over the last few years to push for their demand to name the airport after D B Patil.
The NMIA is proposed to be named as Loknete DB Patil Navi Mumbai Airport.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Worli MLA Aaditya Thackeray wanted to know why the airport has not been formally named yet when it is closer to the date of commissioning.
“It is the birth anniversary of D B Patil. In 2022, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, in its Cabinet meeting decided to name the Navi Mumbai International Airport as Shri DB Patil International Airport and sent the recommendation to the Union government. However, the status: pending for approval from Government of India,” he said.
For over 3 years, despite all of us writing reminder letters to the Union Civil Aviation ministers (then and now), it remains pending,” he said.
Aaditya appealed to Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu to approve the proposal coinciding with the birth anniversary.
“Similarly, the proposal for Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar airport to be named as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj airport remains pending with the union government since 2020. Is this pendency normal for the Union government of the BJP? Or is it purely because they want to keep insulting Maharashtra?,” he wanted to know.