Residents of 27 villages took out a Mashal March (Torch Morcha) on Monday to put pressure on the state government to name the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) after late socialist DB Patil. They also threatened to stop the ongoing airport work from August 16 if the state government does not accept their demand.
On April 17, the Cidco Board had approved the naming of the airport after late Balasaheb Thackeray and sent the proposal to the state government. On June 10, the proposal was approved by the state government.
The villagers started the morcha from Jasai village, the birthplace of DB Patil. “We garlanded the Hutatma monument in Jasai village, following which the protest moved to a nearby taluka to ignite other torches,” said Dashrath Patil, president of the Navi Mumbai All-Party Action Committee (NMAPAC). He added that Bhumiputras (sons-of-soil) will gather at Owale Fata in Panvel on Monday, August 16, at 9 am to stall the ongoing airport work.
As per the NMAPAC, thousands of villagers in Navi Mumbai participated in the protest, with the aim to make other villages aware of the movement.
Patil claimed that villagers in small groups of 25-30 from Thane, Palghar, Bhiwandi, are also participating in the morcha in their own areas. He said, “We had warned on June 24 that if the demand of villagers is not met, we will stall the ongoing airport work from August 16.”
