Sewa society wants airport named after Guru Nanak

Tribune News Service

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Mohali, October 29

In the backdrop of the ongoing 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Sewa Society (regd), Chandigarh, has demanded to name the local airport after the first Sikh Guru.

“The Chandigarh international airport in Mohali should be named after the first Guru. The airport should be named as ‘Guru Nanak Dev Ji International Airport’. It would be a befitting tribute to Guru Nanak Dev,” said Harjit Singh Sabharwal, general secretary of the society.

He said they had shot communiqués in this regard to the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister, the Minister of Civil Aviation and the Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana.

“The decision of the Union Cabinet to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of the ‘Guru’ throughout the country and across the globe in a grand and befitting manner is commendable. The proactive action of the Central Government in ensuring the opening of the Kartarpur corridor, starting ‘Sarbat Da Bhala’ train and visit of 90 foreign envoys to the Golden Temple in Amritsar are laudable steps. Now, we want to change the name of our local airport,” said executive members of the society.

The society also demanded to start more international flights, especially to Canada, America, Australia and England, from the local airport. “The Punjabi diaspora has been living mostly in these four countries. There is need of the hour to start flights to these foreign destinations from the airport,” said Sabharwal.

It is to be noted that earlier there was demand to name the airport after Shahed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh around three years ago. Local politicians, including Prem Singh Chandumajra, the then Member of Parliament, had battled for changing the name of the airport, but the demand was not met by the authorities concerned.

A controversy had also erupted between the Punjab and Haryana governments over naming the airport.