Centre may clear new names for Amritsar,Mohali airports

Agreeing to a long-pending demand of the Punjab government,the Centre is expected to clear the renaming of the Amritsar International Airport as Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport.

Agreeing to a long-pending demand of the Punjab government,the Centre is expected to clear the renaming of the Amritsar International Airport as Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport after the fourth Sikh Guru who was also the founder of Amritsar,and the upcoming Mohali International Airport as Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh International Airport after the renowned freedom fighter,on Thursday.

The Union Cabinet,slated to meet on November 4,will take up the Civil Aviation Ministrys proposal seeking the renaming of the airports. The Cabinet,sources said,was likely to give its nod to the proposal respecting the sentiments of the people of the state.

Located in the Rajasansi area of Amritsar,the Amritsar International Airport is generally referred to as the Rajasansi airport. This airport is the gateway to hundreds of Punjabis to important destinations across the globe. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has been pressing for a change in its name for some time now. The Punjab government has been arguing that renaming this airport after the Guru was a matter close to the peoples hearts.

In fact,last year,Badal had raised the matter with Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel when the latter had gone there to inaugurate a new integrated terminal building.

The naming of the upcoming international terminal at Chandigarh airport,on the 305 acres of land falling in Mohali (Punjab),has been a contentious issue between Punjab and Haryana governments.

Having signed a memorandum of understanding in 2008,the Airports Authority of India,the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) and the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) are currently in the process of developing a new international terminal along with new cargo facilities adjacent to the existing Chandigarh airport on land falling in Mohali.

While Punjab has been batting for naming the new airport as the Mohali International Airport,Haryana has shown resistance to the move. The joint venture company formed for the purpose is named the Chandigarh International Airport Pvt Ltd.