Navi Mumbai airport naming: Protest peaceful; cops to book organisers, leaders

Thousands of people including project-affected persons (PAPs) and political party workers staged a peaceful protest to demand naming of the proposed Navi Mumbai international airport after PAP leader DB Patil

Thousands of people including project-affected persons (PAPs) and political party workers staged a peaceful protest to demand naming of the proposed Navi Mumbai international airport after PAP leader DB Patil. The DB Patil Navi Mumbai International Airport All Party Action Committee has warned that it will stop all airport work if the state fails to accept the demand by August 15.

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Police said cases will be registered against the leaders and organisers for holding a public meeting as they had no permission for the same due to the pandemic.

Amid fears of clash between the police and protesters, the public meeting took place on Palm Beach Road near NMMC headquarters. Police said there were around 10,000 protestors, but the organisers put the number over 100,000. Independent sources put the number between 25,000 and 40,000.

Shivraj Patil, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), zone 2, said, “We had been asking the leaders to not hold the meeting but since they went ahead, we were ready with a strong bandobast to prevent the protestors from reaching Cidco Bhavan. Cases will be registered against the leaders and organisers. Such a meeting cannot be allowed when Covid norms are still in place.”

He claimed the protest was peaceful as the police were constantly coordinating and communicating with protestors and leaders to ensure there is no untoward incident.

The action committee had planned a protest of at least 100,000 people to gherao Cidco, which has passed a resolution to name the airport after Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray.

Protestors came not just from Navi Mumbai, Panvel and Uran but also Mumbai and other parts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). They carried placards, wore clothes with Patil’s pictures and raised slogans praising him and declaring their demand. There were also several political leaders cutting across party lines, including Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) MLA Raju Patil and Congress MP Hussain Dalwai.

The action committee submitted a memorandum to Cidco stating their demand to cancel the resolution approving Balasaheb Thackeray’s name and propose DB Patil’s name.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Panvel MLA Prashant Patil, who has been spearheading the agitation, said, “There was not a single political party flag visible today, proving that this is a movement of the people from all spheres. Sons of the soil have come from all over. The chief minister has got a very strong message today of what the people want.”

He added, “We have given time till August 15 to the government to complete the formalities to finalise DB Patil’s name. If it fails to do so, the action committee and the sons of the soil will ensure that all Navi Mumbai airport related work will come to a standstill.”

“For me my community comes first and hence it is my duty to be here for DB Patil. Raj Thackeray has only raised a technical issue of the airport being an extension, but the state is playing games and is waiting for something really grave to happen to wake up,” said Raju Patil, MNS leader.

Congress leader Hussain Dalwai said, “I have worked with DB Patil in the OBC movement in which he was my leader. He got justice for the sons of the soil and was an inspiration for struggle of the people. MVA wants the issue to be resolved amicably and DB Patil deserves the demand being made for him. He worked selflessly only for the people.”