Chandigarh Airport Has Been Renamed  

Chandigarh airport has been renamed after Shaheed Bhagat Singh, giving tribute to the freedom fighter on his 115th birth anniversary. The Ministry of Civil Aviation officially announced it on Twitter. 

Highlights of Chandigarh Airport

1. The airport in Mohali renamed after Shaheed Bhagat Singh
2. It was a joint venture of both Punjab and Haryana with AAI.
3. This put an end to the long-standing dispute between both states.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his 93rd Mann Ki Baat radio broadcast, announced that the Chandigarh airport is going to be renamed after Shaheed Bhagat Singh, in a tribute to the freedom fighter. Nirmala Sitharaman who was present at the event thanked Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi for announcing the same. She said that she felt honoured to be present at the event where Chief Ministers of both Haryana and Punjab were also present at the event. 

This, it put an end to the long-standing dispute between both states. The then Deputy Governor of Punjab, Sukhbir Badal urged the Centre to build an international airport in Mohali in the year 2007. Then, it was agreed that an international airport will be built at the civil-cum-defence airport at Chandigarh by integrating the same. 

An agreement was signed by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and the state of Punjab. The deal was that the Airport Authority of India and Greater Mohali Area Development Authority will form a joint venture and acquire the land. The state of Punjab was also asked to invest and with this taking the ratio of joint ventures between Punjab and AAI to 49:51 respectively. 

After this, the state of Haryana intervened and demanded a stake in the airport being built. Haryana’s claim was that since the existing airport was being upgraded and Chandigarh is the shared capital of both the states, the state has a claim on the airport. But Punjab rejected the claims stating that the construction of the airport is by expanding it on Mohali land. 

Then, after this, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Sigh intervened and it was decided that Haryana will contribute half the share of Punjab’s contribution that is 24.5%. Another point of contention came when Punjab put forward that it wanted the airport to be called as International Airport at Mohali but the Haryana government wanted the name Panchkula to be added. But after it was announced that both the states are on the same page and have decided to add Chandigarh only as it is a joint venture of both the states.