Thane, Jun 25 (PTI) A vehicle rally consisting of cars, motorbikes and auto-rickshaw was taken out to demand naming the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) after popular local politician late D B Patil.
The rally was held on Tuesday (June 24) on the occasion of the 12th death anniversary of Patil, who was widely respected as Loknete (people's leader).
The rally witnessed participation of more than 1,100 vehicles as thousands of supporters of Patil and residents from Palghar, Thane, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Raigad joined the movement to demand that NMIA, expected to be operational by 2025-end, be officially named after the later leader, according to organisers.
According to a news release issued by Dashrath Dada Patil, president of the Loknete DB Patil Navi Mumbai International Airport Naming All-Party Action Committee, the rally began at 11:30 am from the CIDCO Exhibition Center in Vashi and culminated at Kalbhairav Temple at Karanjade in Panvel in Raigad district, covering approximately 20km.
Patil, who was a Member of Parliament (MP), had led several protests by farmers and landowners (project affected people) surrounding Panvel tehsil when the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) acquired land in the area decades ago.