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PAPs plan to intensify agitation for `D B Patil’ Navi Mumbai airport
MLAs, leaders to meet, CM to be approached; Committee had erected signboard with D B Patil airport name in August
URAN
The D B Patil Navi Mumbai International Airport All Party Action committee has decided to intensify its agitation for naming the proposed NAvi Mumbai International Airport after the much revered PAP leader D B Patil.
The committee has planned a meeting of present and former MLAs of the Agri-Koli communities to chart a plan of action. It also plans to meet the chief minister and deputy chief ministers on the issue.
The PAPs had on August 9, Kranti Divas erected name boards at the airport site declaring the airport’s name as `Loknete D B Patil International Airport’. They had also vowed to take a morcha to Mantralaya on October 11, Jayaprakash Narayan Jayanti, if the state government did not follow up on the demand with the Centre by then.
A meeting of the top leaders of the committee along with PAPs was held in Jasai, Uran a couple of days back to take stock of the delay by the state government in taking action vis-à-vis the demand.
According to president of the action committee, Dashrath Patil, “Our demand has been approved by the state cabinet at its very first meeting. The resolution has also been passed by both the houses last year itself.”
He added, “As per the norm, the state government now has to send the proposal to the central government, recommending D B Patil’s name for the airport. The civic aviation minister had himself assured us two years back that the centre will approve the name once it gets the proposal from the State government.”
Lamented Patil, “Despite repeated follow ups, the state government is yet to act on the resolutions passed by it and send them to the union government. Several projects have been named after various leaders in the meantime. One doesn’t understand the reason for this delay. Is it for want of political will or orders from the bosses?”
Informed Patil, “We have decided to call a meeting within the next few days of present and former MLAs of Agri and other PAP communities. We shall then finalise our next steps to intensify the agitation.”
Said Panvel MLA Prashant Thakur, “The action committee shall seek appointment and meet the chief minister and the deputy chief ministers soon to get the state government to forward the proposal to the central government.”
Said an upset PAP leader Bhushan Patil, “We PAPs never get anything without struggle and fight. We shall not sit quiet and make sure that our demand is met. We owe our existence to D B Patil who sacrificed his life for us. This is the least we can do to salute his memory.”
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Who was D. B. Patil?
Born on January 13, 1926 in Jasai village of Uran, Dinkar Balu Patil, the much respected and popular leader of PAPs of Raigad region passed away on June 24, 2013 at the age of 87.
In a region sharply divided along political lines, he was the only leader under whom all PAPs and their leaders cutting across party lines, united to launch their agitations.
A teacher’s son, he studied art and law, practicing the latter from 1951 to 1956 before being elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 1957 from Panvel-Uran constituency which he represented for 5 consecutive terms as Peasants and Workers Party leader.
He was also the opposition leader from 1972-77 and was arrested several times for his agitations. He was elected member of parliament twice in 1977 and 1984 from Kolaba constituency. He was elected MLC in 1992. He joined the Shiv Sena in 1999.
Patil launched the PAP agitation in 1984 against CIDCO and the state government. It was following this agitation that the State government offered the first of its kind compensation to the PAPs who received not just the financial compensation but were also assured allotment of the developed 12.5% plot of the plot acquired from them.
He continued to fight for the PAPs till his death, even leading an all party agitation in February 2013 from an ambulance before his death.
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