Navi Mumbai Airport Named After Loknete DB Patil: Why He Holds A Special Place In Maharashtra’s History

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the much-awaited Phase 1 of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI) on October 8. The airport has been renamed after late Dinkar Balu Patil, also known as D B Patil. After its inauguration tomorrow, the commercial flight operation for the public will open from December 2025 following security clearances and system testing.

Along with decades of long-wait, there were demands of renaming the airport after D. B. Patil. A massive protest was also organised on October 6; however, it was postponed after Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis’ assurance on October 3.

The demand to name the Navi Mumbai International Airport after D. B. Patil has been ongoing for over a decade. Three years ago, protests by local “sons of the soil” prompted the then Maha Vikas Aghadi government under Uddhav Thackeray to pass a Cabinet resolution in support of the proposal.

Why is DB Patil important for Maharashtra?

Born in Jasai, Raigad district, on 13 January 1926, D B Patil was a prominent leader of the Shetkari Kamgar Paksha (Peasants and Workers Party) in Maharashtra’s North Konkan. Patil devoted his entire life to advocating for rights of farmers and labourers. During the 1970s and 80s, he led several protests for farmers and land owners in the Panvel district when City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) acquired land in the area.

According to the Panvel Corporation’s official website, a major protest took place in 1984, during which five farmers lost their lives. The movement eventually succeeded, prompting the state government to provide 12.50% land for project-affected people while CIDCO allotted 40 sq. ft. Meter land per lease farmers and other workers.

At the age of 86, Patil also stood up for the villagers of the Uran area when their land was acquired by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT). He led the protest while being in an ambulance at that time.

Recently, Bhiwandi MP and NCP (SP) leader Suresh Mhatre while highlighting Patil’s legacy called him a frontline leader of the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement and a champion of farmers’ rights. “He gave the Kul Kayda making tenants the owners of land, fought for ‘land for land’ in acquisitions, laid the foundation for the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, gave the nation a law against female foeticide, and led the OBC reservation struggle. Despite being a five-time MLA and two-time MP, he lived a selfless life without even building his own house. Naming the airport after him is the least that can be done,” Mhatre said.

DB Patil and his political career

Patil was a lawyer, social activist and also a politician. He had served as a Mayor of Panvel Municipality, and was also elected 5 times from the Panvel-Uran Assembly constituency. He also served once as a Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council. Not just this, he held the position of Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and was elected twice as a Member of Parliament from the Raigad Lok Sabha constituency.