This story is from August 15, 2018

Kanpur airport to get Vidyarthi’s name

According to a proposal from UP civil aviation department, Bareilly airport is proposed to be named 'Nath Nagri' airport.
Kanpur airport to get Vidyarthi’s name
Representative image
LUCKNOW: After renaming the iconic Mughalsarai railway station after RSS thinker Deendayal Upadhyay, the ruling BJP government has approached the Centre for its approval to rename three airports—those in Bareilly, Kanpur and Agra.
1

While all three are defence airports, the state government and the Airports Authority of India are in the process of constructing civil enclaves here to facilitate flyers under the regional connectivity scheme.

According to a proposal from the UP civil aviation department, the Bareilly airport is proposed to be named ‘Nath Nagri’ airport. Nath Nagri is believed to be an ancient name of the city for its history of having ardent worshippers of Lord Shiva—a feature closely associated with the Nath sect, to which CM Yogi Adityanath also belongs.
UP’s civil aviation minister Nand Gopal Nandi said that renaming of the three airports was awaited for long.
“We have reached out to the Centre to get the airports renamed. A meeting with the Union ministry of civil aviation is expected soon,” he said. He also added The proposal speaks about Bareilly in great detail. It says that the city is surrounded on all sides by as many as seven Lord Shiva temples—Alakhnath, Trivatinath, Marhinath, Dhopeshwarnath, Vankhandinath, Tapeshwarnath and Pashupatinath.

The place is also revered for being associated with not only Jain Tirthankar Parsavnath but is also said to be the birth place of Draupadi. The city was once part of ‘Panchal’ kingdom, the proposal says.
“The place has a rich historical and cultural background and that needs to be acknowledged,” said Nandi.
Likewise, Kanpur’s Chakeri airport is proposed to be named after freedom fighter Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi. The proposal moved by the state government describes Vidyarthi as a fearless journalist and social worker who was inspired by the non-violent movements of Mahatma Gandhi. It, however,does not mention Vidyarthi’s political background of being a Congressman. The state government is already in the process of getting a civil enclave constructed at the airport. The proposal also says that Kanpur was earlier known as ‘Kanha Pur’ and was founded by Sachendi King Hindu Singh.
While Agra’s military airport is already called DDU airport, its civil enclave is proposed to be named after the co-founder of Jan Sangh, the fore-runner organisation of the present day BJP. Nandi said that naming the airport after Upadhyay will be the biggest tribute to the social reformer who worked all his life for the cause of social equality.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA