PUNJAB TADKA: Opposition up in arms as BJP names Chandigarh International Airport after RSS leader Mangal Sein
Apart from the international flights, the Chandigarh International Airport is also desperately waiting for a name.
Nearly four months have passed after the airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The authorities have neither begun the international flights from here nor taken a final decision on the name.
The Haryana government wants to name the Chandigarh International Airport after RSS activist Mangal Sein.
Parkash Singh Badal is facing a flak for being silent on the issue
The Haryana government has now kicked off a new controversy by demanding that the airport be named after RSS ideologue Mangal Sein.
State politicians had earlier said that they will not oppose if the airport is named after martyr Bhagat Singh.
The issue has now attained political overtones.
The Haryana government is facing criticism not just from within the state, but also from the neighboring areas, for this demand.
Opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and its student wing have threatened to launch a statewide protest if the government continued with its proposal to get the airport named after the RSS activist.
“BJP government's proposal is an insult to martyr Bhagat Singh who laid down his life for the nation. Dropping his name to benefit RSS is objectionable and will not be tolerated,” INLD's student wing The Indian National Students Organisation (INSO) President, Pradeep Deswal said.
Punjab Pradesh Congress President Capt Amarinder Singh has also strongly resented Haryana's proposal to name the Chandigarh airport after Mangal Sein, an RSS leader and a former Haryana Deputy Chief Minister.
“This seems to be yet another move aimed at saffronisation and we will not allow it at any cost”, he remarked.
He also condemned the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for his timid silence and not raising the issue with the central government.
In a statement, the PCC president disclosed that he had learnt that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s proposal.
He said, the Congress party will not allow it at any cost.
Capt Amarinder asserted that Punjab has a justified claim in naming the Chandigarh airport since the union territory belonged to it.
Besides, he added, instead of naming the airport after an RSS leader whose only claim to fame is a two year stint as Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana, it must be named after some prominent freedom fighter.
The former Chief Minister said, Congress party will strongly protest if the union government goes ahead with its proposal of naming the airport after Sein.
Meanwhile, radical Sikh groups have objected to the name of Bhagat Singh, terming him a ‘killer’.
President of Akali Dal (Amritsar) Simranjit Singh Mann had recently created a stir by calling Bhagat Singh as a terrorist.
He has also objected to the naming of Chandigarh International Airport as the Shaheed-E-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh International Airport Mohali-Chandigarh.
“Bhagat Singh is neither a martyr nor a national hero. He is a terrorist. We are against naming the Chandigarh International airport as Shaheed-E-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh airport,” Simranjit Singh Mann told the media.
Mann had also slammed Punjab chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for having failed to set up an international airport in Amritsar and said he took the project to Chandigarh so that the value of the plots owned by him and his relatives sell at a higher price.
“He should desist from naming the airport after Bhagat Singh who was a terrorist. Instead, he should dedicate the airport to Baba Banda Singh Bahadur-the Sikh warrior who had defeated the Mughals,” Simranjit Sigh Mann said.
While the Ministry of Civil Aviation is yet to decide a name for this airport, the Airport Authority of India has avoided the name suggested by the Punjab Government and put simple sign boards.
Chandigarh BJP leader Sanjay Tandon told the Mail Today that both the governments should avoid controversies as the airport also belongs to the people of Chandigarh.
“The important thing is that we have an international airport. Politicians should avoid creating chaos. There is no controversy regarding the name and all doubts will be cleared by the government as there is a BJP government in Haryana and an ally in neighbouring Punjab,” Sanjay Tandon said.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government has said that it will stick to the resolution which was passed by the state assembly in 2009.
“The Punjab government will stick to the non-official resolution passed by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha that names the airport as Shaheed-E-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh International Airport. This has been forwarded to the Ministry of Civil Aviation,” Vishwajeet Khanna said.
Gita Jayanti festival goes international
Haryana's Gita Jayanti festival will be given an international status from next year when the state will also organise Haryana's Golden Jubilee celebrations.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar recently announced that the Craft Mela organised at the bank of Brahma Sarovar in Kurukshetra - where Gita Jayanti is celebrated every year- would be extended for three days to give more opportunities to tourists, artisans and craftsmen.
Gita Jayanti would be known as ‘Haryana Mahotsava’
The State Government also organised Gita Jayanti Samaroh in all districts of the state.
"Keeping in view the enthusiasm shown by people, international level Gita Jayanti Samaroh will be organised next year in Kurukshetra on the occasion of Haryana’s Golden Jubilee celebration and a scheme has been prepared by the state government for this purpose." Gita followers, specialists, theorists and saints from all over the world will be invited to this international Gita Mahotsav to spread the message of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita.
“Gita Jayanti would be known as ‘Haryana Mahotsava’ and will be on the lines of the Pongal festival of Tamil Nadu and Baisakhi of Punjab,” says Manohar Lal Khattar.
Haryana Tourism Minister Ram Bilas Sharma says that about 20 lakh visitors from the State and the other parts of the country satisfied their thirst for knowledge by participating in the five-day Kurukshetra Mahotsava - Gita Jayanti Samaroh and three-day Gita Jayanti Samaroh organised in all districts of the state.
Sharma says that the message of the Gita is significant not only for India, but also for the whole world.
Asia’s oldest natural skating rink on thin ice
Shimla's ice skating rink has been a centre of attraction for Bollywood.
Popular Hindi movie songs like ‘Shokh Nazar ki Bijlian’ from Manoj Kumar- Praveen Chaudhary starrer Woh Kaun Thi and ‘Vada Karo Nahi Chodoge Mera Sath’ from Shashi Kapoor- Sharmila starrer Aa Gale Lag Ja besides Janwar, Mera Nam Joker and many others featured scenes that were shot on the rink.
Popular Bollywood actors like Raj Kapoor, Raj Kumar, Sanjiv Kumar , Manoj Kumar and actresses like Rajshri ,Simmi and others were frequent visitors here.
Shimla Ice Skating Rink is falling prey to effects of global warming
Shimla Ice Skating Rink is South East Asia's oldest natural clay surfaced Ice Skating rink which was founded in 1929 by an Irish millitary officer Blessington who got the idea to convert his tennis court into an ice skating rink when he found the court frozen.
The site of the rink is situated adjacent to the Circular road, just below the Scandal Point which is conveniently approachable from all parts of the town and happens to be Shimla's coldest place.
Today, this rink is facing the side effects of global warming.
The number of skating sessions have been reduced to less than half during the past decade.
Experts say variations in Shimla's temperature are also responsible for this situation.
Low turnover on the inaugural day of this season's first ice-skating session revealed how the rink is slowly losing its grandeur.
What has worried the ice skating lovers and environmentalists is that the number of skating sessions have been reduced to less than half now.
The worried Shimla Ice Skating Club members worried have requested the government to convert the natural ice-skating rink to a semi-natural skating rink to save it.
“Vehicle pollution, unchecked construction and vanishing tree line, besides global warming has created variations in Shimla's temperature. The snow has vanished and the snow line has shrunk," says Manmohan Singh, Director, Shimla meteorological centre.
