LUDHIANA: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday, at the inauguration of the terminal building at Halwara International Airport in Ludhiana, reiterated his demand to the Government of India to name the airport after legendary martyr Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha, calling it a fitting tribute to one of the youngest icons of India’s freedom struggle.
The Chief Minister also urged the Centre to further strengthen international connectivity from Mohali Airport, while asserting that Punjab is steadily moving towards a moment where all four of its airports will bear the names of the state’s revered Gurus and martyrs, seamlessly linking modern infrastructure with the state’s spiritual and revolutionary legacy.
Raising the issue in the presence of Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu during the virtual inauguration of the airport by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann stated, “Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha laid down his life for the motherland when he was just 19 years old. His supreme sacrifice inspired millions to rise against British imperialism, and even Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh regarded him as his role model.”
The Chief Minister said that naming Halwara Airport after Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha would be a befitting honour to a martyr who hailed from the region and had gone to Berkeley University to pursue a career in aviation, but chose instead to return and dedicate his life to the freedom movement. “Punjab is the land of great Gurus, prophets, saints, seers and martyrs. Every inch of this sacred soil carries the imprint of their sacrifices, ” he said.
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann noted that if Halwara Airport is named after Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha, two of Punjab’s four airports would be named after revered Gurus and two after martyrs. “Sri Guru Ramdass International Airport, Amritsar and Sri Guru Ravidass Maharaj Ji Airport, Adampur, are named after Gurus, while Shaheed Bhagat Singh Airport, Mohali and Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha Airport, Halwara, will commemorate our martyrs, ” he said.