Local leaders from Navi Mumbai held human chain protest on June 10 to put pressure on the state government to name the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMAI) after project affected persons (PAPs) leader late DB Patil. All-Party Action Committee (APAC) that conducted the human chain claimed that over 40000 villagers from Raigad, Thane, Palghar and Navi Mumbai formed the human chain.
The APAC claimed that villagers formed 12 km long human chain from Ambedkar chowk to CIDCO office in Belapur. They kept sloganeering that the name of the airport should be after Late D B Patil.
The APAC says that the state government should understand the emotions of villagers and name the airport after late D B Patil.
Majority of leaders participated in the formation of human chain were from the Bhartiya Janata Party. However, the APAC claimed that the demanding its name.
Last month, on April 17, the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) board approved the name of the proposed NMIA after Late Bala Saheb Thackeray and sent the proposal to the state government for final approval. However, leaders from Navi Mumbai are demanding that it should be named after former PAPs leader Patil, as he had fought for farmers and PAPs and ensured that they get 12.5% developed land from CIDCO. Apart from Navi Mumbai, Patil had also championed the cause of farmers in the Thane and Palghar area.
Local leaders from Panvel formed the APAC to press their demand for the name of the airport after Patil. They alleged, “The CIDCO board, in a hurry, approved the name of the proposed airport after Late Bala Saheb Thackeray while we were already corresponding with all the concerned government agencies.”
Meanwhile, the APAC claimed that on June 24, the memorial day of D B Patil, they will again protest at CIDCO office in Belapur.
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