Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai
Mumbai, Oct 4: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday announced that the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport will be named after late Loknete D B Patil.
He said the proposal, which was recently discussed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, received a positive response, and the Centre is aligned with the state government’s stance.
“While granting permission for the airport’s construction, the Centre had approved it as ‘Navi Mumbai International Airport’. Now, the name will be extended as **‘Loknete D. B. Patil Navi Mumbai International Airport’. The Prime Minister has assured that the naming will be done as per the proposal submitted by the state government,” Fadnavis said.
The CM added that the official naming will be done once passenger traffic commences, while the current period will focus on technical preparations and trial bookings.
Fadnavis also confirmed that both Houses of the State Legislature had passed a resolution to name the airport after Loknete D B Patil, and the State Cabinet forwarded the proposal to the Centre. A new central policy for naming public facilities is under formulation, and approvals for Pune Airport (after Jagadguru Sant Tukaram) and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar Airport (after Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj) are also expected soon.
In a significant move, the CM declared that cases filed against protestors during the Navi Mumbai airport naming agitation will be withdrawn, including those registered under Covid regulations. “These cases should not create hurdles in providing employment at the airport. Necessary instructions will be issued,” he said.
The announcement was made at a meeting attended by several leaders, including Forest Minister Ganesh Naik, MPs Kapil Patil and Suresh (Ballya) Mhatre, former MPs Ramsheth Thakur, Sanjay Patil, Sanjeev Naik, MLAs Ravindra Chavan, Mahesh Baldi, and other public representatives.
An all-party unanimous proposal backing the airport’s renaming was also submitted to Chief Minister Fadnavis during the event.