Hollongi Airport Name Row: HIPF Sticks to its Demand for Name Change

Hollongi airport row: Hollongi Indigenous People's Forum lashes out at Pema Khandu government. Terms stand of govt as adamant.

HIPF president Tana Puna Tara briefs media

Reported by Marina Dai

The row over the naming of the greenfield airport at Hollongi in Arunachal Pradesh is just refusing to die. A day after Chief Minister Pemu Khandu stated that the issue has been resolved, the Hollongi Indigenous People’s Forum (HIPF) said on Thursday that they are sticking to the demand for a name change and wants the government to add Hollongi to the name of the airport.

The airport which will be a milestone in enhancing air connectivity with the frontier state is all set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 19.

Hollongi Indigenous People’s Forum (HIPF) Chairman Tana Puna Tara, briefing newspersons, alleged that the Pema Khandu government is adamant on it’s stand of not to rename the airport and keept it as Donyi Polo airport Itanagar. According to Tara, people of Hollongi who had talks with the HIPF has termed the government’s stand as injustice.

Not only this, the HIPF alleged that local MLA Tana Hali is yet to reach out to the people on the issue and maintained that the reality is different as compared to what has been claimed by Chief Minister Pema Khandu. The Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister on Wednesday had said that “The matter is resolved now. Local MLA Tana Hali (of Doimuk constituency) had brought the matter before the Cabinet and the Cabinet had discussed it. The issue was discussed in the (state) Assembly too and all members were of the opinion that the airport must be known as Itanagar airport as it is near the capital city.”

Meanwhile, the Hollongi Indigenous People’s Forum (HIPF) has called off it’s proposed Boycott Plan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s inaugural event of the airport on November 19. In this regard, HIPF Chairperson Tana Puna Tara said, “we the people of Hollongi welcome Prime Minister Modi, who will be inaugurating the airport on November 19, because this is a very big achievement for the state govt and the people. HIPF Executive body and the public had decided to boycott, but since PM is coming it will be a historic event and we have decided to lift it.”

However, the HIPF president affirmed that the agitation will continue after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit as he said, “Hollongi is our identity.”

READ ALSO: Dispute over Hollongi Airport Name Resolved, PM Modi to Inaugurate Airport on Nov 19: CM Pema Khandu

Edited by BhaskarJyoti Kalita

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