The two-year long battle of the Project Affected Persons of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) finally seems to have borne fruit as the State Cabinet decided to name the airport as Loknete Swargiya DB Patil International Airport.
The PAPs from Uran, Raigad, Panvel, Thane, Palghar and Mumbai have welcomed the decision and claimed that Patil had fought for the rights of PAPs and deserved the honour.
The opposition, though, questioned the timing of this decision. Sena had earlier decided to name the airport after Sena Supremo, Late Balasaheb Thackeray.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had, on Tuesday, claimed that he was never opposed to the name of DB Patil and had never insisted on his father’s name. He had assured that the decision to name the airport after the PAP leader would be tabled in the Cabinet meeting. Accordingly, the State Cabinet, on Wednesday evening, decided to name the airport after DB Patil.
Atul Patil, DB Patil’s son, said, “It is a matter of pride for my family and me that the CM has approved my father’s name for the airport. The withdrawal of the name of his father, respected Balasaheb Thackeray, and deciding on DB Patil name, thereby giving justice to the demand of PAPs by Uddhav Thackeray, is indeed a big decision by him and we appreciate it.”
He said that the credit goes to the PAPs and those who fought for the name. “This victory is not of an individual or our family but of the PAPs. We will continue to fight for the rights of the PAPs always.”
Dashrath Patil, chairman of DB Patil Navi Mumbai International Airport All Party Action Committee, said that the name will inspire generations to follow their selfless leader. “D B Patil was a selfless leader from the backward community who worked to give justice to the people of his community. The decision may be late but MVA gets the credit.”
BJP MLA Prashant Patil, who had been spearheading the agitation, questioned the delay in the decision. “This is the success of PAPs. However, the resolution was approved when the MVA government is on its way out, which is questionable. We will now ensure continuous follow up.”
Who was DB Patil?
Born on January 13, 1926 in Jasai village of Uran, Dinkar Balu Patil, fought for the PAPs for years. Earlier, the PAPs merely got compensation for their land. Patil launched the PAP agitation in 1984 against CIDCO and the State Government. It was after 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 total plot acquired from them.
A teacher’s son, Patil studied art and law and was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 1957 from Panvel-Uran constituency, which he represented for five consecutive terms as Peasants and Workers Party leader.
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 on June 24, 2013 at the age of 87.