Karnataka Assembly passes resolution to rename 4 airports

PTI, Dec 14, 2023, 8:13 PM IST

The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution recommending to the union government to rename four airports in the state after prominent personalities. According to the resolution, the Hubballi airport will be named after Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna, Belagavi airport after Kittur Rani Chennamma, Shivamogga airport after Rashtrakavi Dr K V Puttappa (Kuvempu) and Vijayapura airport to be named after Sri Jagajyothi Basaveshwara. Rani Chennamma (1778–1829), the queen of erstwhile princely state of Kittur in Belagavi district, had fought against the British, and is remembered as a folk hero in Karnataka Sangolli Rayanna (1798-1831) was the army chief of the erstwhile Kittur Kingdom ruled by Rani Chennamma and fought against the British who hanged him to death from a Banyan tree near Nandagad in Belagavi district in 1831.

Kuppali Venkatappa (KV) Puttappa, one of the foremost personalities of Kannada literature. Popularly known as ‘Kuvempu’, he was first among the Kannada writers to be awarded with the prestigious Jnanpith Award for his work ‘Sri Ramayana Darshanam’. Basaveshwara was a 12th century philosopher, social reformer and statesman who attempted to create a casteless society and fought against caste and religious discrimination. Popularly known as Basavanna, Lingayats — one of Karnataka’s politically dominant communities — which is said to constitute about 17 per cent of the state’s population, finds its origins with him. Piloting the resolution in the Assembly, Industries and Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil said the new names for the airports will be recommended to the union government. Meanwhile, BJP MLA V Sunil Kumar asked the government to include a proposal to name the Mangaluru airport after Koti Channaiah. However, Speaker UT Khader, who is MLA from Mangaluru said, there were also demands to name the airport after Veera Rani Abbakka, a Tuluva Queen of Ullal who fought the Portuguese in the latter half of the 16th century, and ”let’s discuss this later…” The Assembly also adopted a resolution urging the state government to construct a memorial to mark the centenary of the 39th session of the Congress held in Belagavi, under the Presidency of Mahatma Gandhi on December 26, 1924.

Responding to this private member’s resolution moved by Belgaum Dakshin BJP MLA Abhay Patil, Backward Classes Welfare and Kannada & Culture Minister Shivanand Tangagadi said the government would make a provision for this in the 2024-25 Budget, and centre will also requested to release funds for the same.