Torch protest on August 9 over naming Navi Mumbai airport

Protesters are staunchly opposed to a proposal to name the airport after Bal Thackeray. File pics/Pradeep Dhivar

Over a month after it led a massive agitation to name Navi Mumbai International Airport after DiBa Patil, the All Party Action Committee has given a call for a mashal or torch march on August 9. The committee members say they will stop the work after August 15 if their demand is not met.

In April, Thane's guardian minister Eknath Shinde proposed to name the upcoming airport after Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray. This angered the locals who want the aviation facility to be named in the honour of late politician Dinkar Balu Patil, also fondly called DiBa Patil. They formed the action committee to take the cause forward.

A human protest was held on June 10 across Navi Mumbai and Raigad. As the government didn't pay any attention to the demand, the committee held a massive show of strength outside CIDCO Bhavan on June 24. During this agitation, a delegation of protesters met CIDCO officials and threatened to stop the airport work after Independence Day if authorities continued to ignore their demand.

Following the big protest, an FIR was registered against more than 15,000 citizens including organisers and members of the committee. Recently MP Kapil Patil, who was inducted as minister in the Centre, also backed DiBa Patil's name for the under-construction airport. But no action has so far been taken by the state or central government.

The committee members decided on Wednesday to hold a token mashal march next Monday to remind the government about their demand.

"Agitators will congregate with mashal [torches] at various places in Navi Mumbai, Thane, Nashik and Raigad demanding naming of the airport after DiBa Patil," said Dashrath Patil, president of the action committee. "We are firm on our demand and if the government doesn't listen to us, a confrontation will be unavoidable."

June 24
When the committee held a huge protest in Belapur