By Tejas

Pune, August 26, 2024: Yesterday, on Sunday, August 22, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation, Murlidhar Mohol, requested the state government to make the proposal of naming the Pune International Airport at Lohgaon after Jagadguru Santshreshtha Tukaram Maharaj and send it to the central government.

For this demand, Murlidhar Mohol met the State Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, and held a detailed discussion with them. After the meeting, Mohol said that the state government is positive about the issue, and they have promised to send this proposal to the central government soon.

Mohol also assured that he would personally follow up with the central government when this proposal comes.

The current Pune Airport, situated in Lohgaon, is an important airport station in the city. Lohgaon Airport is one of the busiest airports in the country. However, as the runway of this airport, which is under the authority of the Air Force, has not been expanded enough, there are limitations to the flight services at the national and international level from this airport. Therefore, the Punekars are constantly demanding a separate international airport for the city.

In the last month, Murlidhar Mohol himself assured to follow up on the completion of the international airport project in Purandar. Amidst this, Mohol also took the initiative to give the name of Jagadguru Santshreshtha Tukaram Maharaj to Lohgaon airport.

While speaking on it, Mohol said, "The proposal to name the airport generally comes from the state government to the central government. In it, the state government proposes the name of the airport. After that, the name change is confirmed by the center. Therefore, as the People's Representative of Pune, I proposed this demand to the state government."

"Considering the historical linkages between Santshreshtha Tukaram Maharaj and Lohgaon as his maternal ancestral village, the residents of Lohgaon are also demanding to name the airport after him. This issue is close to the hearts of all Varkaris in Maharashtra. Therefore, I put this demand in front of the state government," Mohol added.