The Signboard for the Airport

By Wasim Khalid, "Kashmiriyat insulted" - Rising Kashmir - Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India
Friday, September 5, 2008

Even before its completion, the international airport in Srinagar has landed into controversy with the Government of India naming it as Srinagar International Airport instead of the recommended Sheikh-ul-Alam International Airport.

“We have named the airport as Srinagar International Airport,” a top official of Airport Authority of India said.

On why the name of the airport had been changed although the State had recommended the name of Sheikh ul Alam, the famous Sufi saint of Kashmir for the new international airport, the official said they had not received any communication from the Government of India (GoI) about naming the airport after the Sufi saint.

“We do not take decision on our own,” the official said. “Before any such step we receive notification from the Government of India. In this case they did not approve the name Sheikh-ul-Alam Airport. If we receive such a communication, we would definitely name it so.”

The airport authorities have erected the signboard for the airport but the name of Sheikh ul Alam is missing.

After much deliberation, the majority of the political leaders arrived at a consensus to name the Srinagar airport after the famous Sufi saint.

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Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President, Mahbooba Mufti strongly reacted to the changed name of the airport. “If this thing has happened, we would lodge a strong protest against the decision,” Mufti told Rising Kashmir. “How can they change the name? We have collectively taken a cabinet decision to name the airport. So this thing should not happen.”

Senior National Conference leader and former works minister Ali Muhammad Sagar said that he will take the matter to the party president Omar Abdullah. “We won’t allow the change of name of the airport. It was Saifuddin Soz who proposed the name of Sher-e-Kashmir International Airport but later after deliberations the legislators had zeroed in on the name of the famous Sufi saint Sheikh ul Alam ,” Sagar said. “If the name has been changed, it is a wrong decision.”

Union Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz was unavailable for the comment.

The international airport at Srinagar has been the long-pending demand of the State government. However, the opening of the international airport was delayed at different intervals of time for one reason or the other.

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[Picture from Greater Kashmir http://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=29_1_2008&ItemID=51&cat=1].