Over a month after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced to name the Chandigarh airport after martyr Bhagat Singh as a tribute, the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has issued the notification renaming the Chandigarh International Airport as Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport.
Notably, the Prime Minister on September 25 had announced that the Chandigarh airport will be renamed after Bhagat Singh as a tribute to the freedom fighter. His 115th birth anniversary was celebrated on September 28, and on the same day, it was announced that the Chandigarh Airport has been renamed after Bhagat Singh.
The development came days after the Punjab Government had urged the Centre to include the name of Mohali city in the recently-inaugurated Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh, as the terminal has been constructed on land falling in revenue district of SAS Nagar, Mohali.
Notably, to name or rename the , an elaborate process is followed; and the final approval has to come from the Union Cabinet. Generally, airports are known by the name of the city where they are located. In some cases, a specific name is proposed by the respective State Government supported by a resolution passed in the state legislative assembly concerned. The same is then sent to the Union Cabinet for the final approval.