Prefix ‘Chandigarh’ to int’l airport: UT tells Punjab

Chandigarh Heritage Protection Cell member, in his letter to the state government and airport authorities, stated that the dropping of Chandigarh from the airport’s name is an attempt at dilution of the original name of the airport

The UT administration has objected to the removal of “Chandigarh” from the international airport’s name in signage in Punjab.

In a letter to the state government and the airport authorities, the UT home department has called for the original name — Chandigarh International Airport — to be restored.

The letter, dated December 17, has asked the director, civil aviation, Punjab, and director, Chandigarh International Airport, Mohali, to take necessary action on the complaint of Ajay Jagga, a member of the Chandigarh Heritage Protection Cell, who initially brought the issue to the notice of UT administrator VPS Badnore and advisor Manoj Kumar Parida.

“The dropping of Chandigarh from the airport’s name is an attempt at dilution of the original name of the airport. Punjab has no authority to change the name of the airport without the acquiescence of all the stakeholders in the project, namely, Chandigarh, Haryana and most importantly the Airport Authority of India,” said a senior UT official, who didn’t want to be named.

Jagga’s complaint, which has also been forwarded with photographs of signage, states, “The airport was originally named as ‘Chandigarh Airport’ and now it has become international airport so it (should be) rightly named as ‘Chandigarh International Airport’. Had it been a new airport, the controversy was understandable, but it is not. Chandigarh international airport is being mentioned as Mohali international airport, which needs corrective measures.”

Jagga’s letter further reads, “The word ‘Chandigarh’ is derived from Hindi word ‘Chandi’, the goddess of power, and should not be removed as a respect for the ‘Goddess’. Apart from the above, Chandigarh is a heritage city and has its international status as well; that also may not be disturbed.”

Significantly, both Haryana and Punjab governments have agreed over naming the airport after Shaheed Bhagat Singh, but the main dispute continues over prefixing Mohali or Chandigarh to the name. The UT administration and Haryana favour keeping the original “Chandigarh” in the airport’s name, but Punjab insists on “Mohali” for it being located in Mohali district.

The interstate dispute over the airport’s name was even brought up for resolution in this year’s Northern Zonal Council Meeting chaired by Union home minister Amit Shah. Even then, Haryana, Chandigarh and the Centre had insisted on prefixing “Chandigarh” while Punjab was adamant on using “Mohali”. The issue remained unresolved.