Mumbai, Sep 23 (IANS): The Maharashtra Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday approved a proposal to name Pune airport after Sant Tukaram Maharaj.

The government will soon recommend it to the Centre for approval. The cabinet gave its consent after the government had received a request from the Warkari community to name Lohegaon airport in Pune after Sant Tukaram Maharaj who is the 17th Century Warkari Saint and poet.

The cabinet decision came after two days as Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the function held on Saturday at Pune announced that the government will name the Pune airport after Sant Tukaram Maharaj. Fadnavis received support from Union Minister Nitin Gadkari who was also present at that function.

Fadnavis in his speech had praised Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol for his suggestion to name the existing Pune airport after Sant Tukaram Maharaj and the new airport in Pune district after Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. He had told the gathering that the proposal would be brought to the next cabinet meeting and forwarded to the Centre for its approval.

Gadkari, who was present for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Dive Ghat to Hadapsar section of the Sant Dnyaneshwar Palkhi Marg and the Mula-Mutha river service road between Chandni Chowk and Warje, extended his support to rename Pune airport after Sant Tukaram Maharaj.

He further assured that he would seek Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s approval for the same. “It is an honour to be associated with the proposal, and I will make sure it is pushed forward at the highest level,” he added.

Meanwhile, the cabinet also cleared an additional freight rate of Rs 40 per quintal from the state government in addition to the freight rate given by the central government to the rice millers for the marketing season 2023-24. Due to this decision, the rice millers included in the scheme will get a total of Rs 50 per quintal (Rs 10 from the Centre and Rs 40 from the state government). The cabinet also approved an additional expenditure of Rs 46.55 lakh for this purpose.

The cabinet also approved the new greenfield expressway from Shirur to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar at the cost of Rs 14,886 crore. The 205 km expressway will be developed on a BOT basis. After its completion, the road tax will be levied on vehicles as per the Road Tax Policy 2008. Nearly 2,633 hectares of land will be acquired for this expressway.