Maharashtra govt approves new name for Pune airport

The Maharashtra government on Monday approved the proposal to rename the Pune airport. The airport will now be called Jagadguru Sant Tukaram Maharaj Airport.

The proposal will be sent to the Centre for approval.

Union minister Nitin Gadkari had earlier supported the name change, adding that he would ensure the proposal receives backing at the Centre.

Minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol said on X that the first step towards renaming the international airport in Pune as 'Jagadguru Santshrestha Tukaram Maharaj Pune International Airport' has been taken today.

He said that the proposal was approved during a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Eknath Shinde.

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Murlidhar Mohol (@mohol_murlidhar) September 23, 2024

"Jagadguru Sant Tukaram Maharaj was born in Lohegaon, where Pune International Airport is located. Not only this, Tukaram Maharaj spent his childhood in Lohegaon, so they share a close relationship," he said.

The BJP leader also thanked the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra for clearing the proposal.

Last month, Mohol, who is a Lok Sabha member from Pune, had submitted the proposal to name the airport after Sant Tukaram Maharaj to CM Shinde.

In his earlier post on X, Mohol said that the process to rename an airport involves a proposal cleared by the state government, which is then sent to the central government for approval.

He had expressed hope that the Maharashtra government would support the initiative, and the proposal would soon be finalised and sent to the Centre for approval.