Navi Mumbai airport to be named after late D B Patil, says Fadnavis

The Navi Mumbai International Airport will be named after late D B Patil , a prominent farmers’ leader from the region, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Monday, saying the facility would play a key role in driving economic growth in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

Addressing a public meeting in Airoli during the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation election campaign, Fadnavis said the international airport coming up in Navi Mumbai would bear the name of Patil, whom he described as a “people’s leader”.

The chief minister said Navi Mumbai, an extension of Mumbai, would emerge as the next engine of economic growth, with the international airport acting as a major catalyst. He said the project would support sectors such as pharmaceuticals, innovation, food processing, services, and import–export, helping the city expand its economic base and generate employment.

Fadnavis said several infrastructure projects were underway to ease traffic congestion and improve connectivity, including a new junction at Kalamboli, the Kharghar–Turbhe tunnel, and a metro network being developed by CIDCO. He added that the Shilar and Poshir projects would help meet the drinking water needs of Navi Mumbai residents in the coming days.

He also announced plans to develop an EduCity in Navi Mumbai to attract leading universities from across the world and provide education and employment opportunities to local students. Addressing housing concerns, Fadnavis said redevelopment of houses at the Ghansoli simplex would be undertaken, while the APMC market would be developed at the same location. He added that tenders had been floated for a multi-speciality hospital in Belapur and work had begun on a central library at Manpada.

The chief minister said the government would introduce schemes for the fishermen community and local residents.

Late Dattatraya (D B) Patil was a veteran farmers’ leader from the Raigad–Navi Mumbai region and a former Member of Parliament. He played a significant role in movements demanding fair compensation, rehabilitation, and employment for farmers affected by land acquisition for Navi Mumbai and major infrastructure projects, including the international airport. He also served as a Union Minister of State during his political career.

The naming of the airport after Patil has been a long-standing demand of farmers’ groups and local residents, who view it as recognition of the sacrifices made by project-affected families.

The announcement was made amid the civic election campaign, with Fadnavis appealing to voters to elect BJP candidates with a strong mandate on January 15, assuring that the government would take responsibility for the city’s development over the next five years.