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PM Modi in Punjab today, to rename Adampur airport after Guru Ravidas
Modi will also inaugurate the civil terminal of the Halwara Airport in Ludhiana and visit Dera Sachkhand Ballan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Sunday name the Adampur airport after Sant Ravidas and virtually inaugurate the civil terminal of the Halwara Airport.
“On the auspicious occasion of the 649th birth anniversary of Sant Guru Ravidas ji, the renaming of Adampur Airport honours the revered saint and social reformer whose teachings of equality, compassion, and human dignity continue to inspire India’s social ethos,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
According to the itinerary, the PM will depart from Delhi at 2.30pm and land at Adampur Air Force Station at around 3.45pm.
He will then unveil the new name of the civil terminal as Sri Guru Ravidas Ji Airport, Adampur, and inaugurate the civil terminal building at Halwara Airport, catering to Ludhiana and its surrounding industrial and agricultural hinterland, according to the itinerary.
Modi is expected to reach Dera Sachkhand Ballan at around 4.30pm and is scheduled to address a gathering before leaving for Adampur air base at 5.25pm.
Officials in Jalandhar said that due to security reasons, a special helipad has been set up on the premises of Dera Ballan, while a road route has been sanitised and guarded as an alternative route.
“The teams of personnel from the Special Protection Group (SPG) have been deployed at Dera Sachkhand Ballan, besides senior officials and personnel of Punjab Police will be part of multi-tier security arrangements,” an official said, seeking anonymity.
Dera Ballan, situated 18km from Jalandhar, draws its strength from its large Dalit following, a significant vote bank in the state. Dalits constitute 32% of Punjab’s population — the highest among all states. Nearly 45% of the Dalit population is concentrated in the Doaba region, which sends 23 representatives to the 117-member state assembly. As per political experts, though the dera has never made its political tilt public, it holds sway at least 19 seats in the Doaba region.
To ensure a smooth visit, the administration has declared Jalandhar a no-flying zone for the duration of the VVIP movement, grounding all civil aviation and drone activity. Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav also visited the dera on Friday to review the multi-tier security arrangements.
The PM’s visit comes shortly after the Union government conferred the Padma Shri on dera head Sant Niranjan Dass, signalling a significant outreach to the community ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.
Security up after threat mails
Jalandhar: Security was stepped up in Jalandhar after four schools received bomb threat emails on Saturday, a day before the PM’s scheduled visit. The emails, which reportedly contained anti-government rhetoric and references to separatist sentiments, prompted an immediate response from state and local security agencies.
The emails reportedly linked the threats to the Prime Minister’s stance against Khalistan activities, specifically citing the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, Canada, in 2023. One of the emails said that they had no issues with Guru Ravidas and dera head Sant Niranjan Dass but added that the dera was in the crosshairs due to the PM’s visit.
Jalandhar commissioner of police (CP) Dhanpreet Kaur Randhawa said the standard operating protocol (SOP) was pressed into action, and all precautionary exigency measures were activated. “The anti-sabotage teams searched the schools and the areas surrounding the schools,” she said. No suspicious object or activity was detected during the comprehensive search operations.
Senior police officials said preliminary investigation suggests the threats were “frivolous” in nature. All government and private schools in the district were already closed on Saturday on account of the Shobha Yatra marking the 649th Guru Ravidass Jayanti. Political leaders cutting across party lines joined the procession, which was guarded by more than 800 police personnel.
30 yrs on, Halwara airport takes flight
After nearly three decades of delay, Halwara Airport at Ludhiana has finally been operationalised, marking a major boost to regional air connectivity in Punjab. The terminal building will be virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.
The long-pending project was completed following efforts by Punjab cabinet minister and former Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora, who took up the matter with multiple stakeholders to ensure its execution. His engagement with the ministry of civil aviation, Airports Authority of India (AAI), Indian Air Force, airline operators and the Punjab government helped move the project from prolonged delays to completion, according to a press release.
Air India has received the required permissions from the Indian Air Force and is set to commence flight operations from the first week of March 2026, initially with multiple flights per week and scope for future expansion.
The airport received its HWR airport code in February 2025, followed by final security clearance from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) in January 2026. Confirmation for the inauguration was subsequently received from the Prime Minister’s Office.
The operationalisation of Halwara Airport is expected to reduce travel time for passengers and industries, while providing a major push to Punjab’s industrial, export and investment ecosystem. It is set to particularly benefit Ludhiana, according to the release.
The terminal building, spread over 2,000 square metres, is designed to handle approximately 2,500 passengers per day.
In a statement, Rajya Sabha member Rajinder Gupta said the launch of air services from Halwara would ease business travel, attract fresh investment and strengthen export-import operations. Gupta said the Malwa region, particularly Ludhiana, which is the industrial backbone of Punjab, hosts many manufacturing units and MSMEs.
