CHANDIGARH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil the event to rename Adampur Airport as Sri Guru Ravidas Ji Airport on Sunday (February 1). Modi will also inaugurate terminal building of Halwara Airport in Ludhiana and visit Dera Sachkhand Ballan in Jalandhar district.
A statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office said that Modi will arrive at Adampur airport by around 3.45 pm on Sunday where he will unveil the new name of the airport.
"On the auspicious occasion of the 649th Birth Anniversary of Sant Guru Ravidas Ji, the renaming of Adampur Airport honours the revered saint and social reformer whose teachings of equality, compassion, and human dignity continue to inspire India’s social ethos,’’ the statement noted.
"Further advancing aviation infrastructure in Punjab, the terminal building being inaugurated by PM at Halwara Airport will establish a new gateway for the state, catering to Ludhiana and its surrounding industrial and agricultural hinterland. Located in Ludhiana district, Halwara is also home to a strategically important Indian Air Force station,’’ the statement added.
"The earlier airport at Ludhiana had a relatively small runway, suitable for small-size aircrafts. To improve connectivity and accommodate larger aircrafts, a new civil enclave has been developed at Halwara which has a longer runway capable of handling A320-type aircrafts,’’ it added.
The statement concluded that aligned with Prime Minister’s vision of sustainable and environmentally responsible development, the terminal incorporates several green and energy-efficient features, including LED lighting, insulated roofing, rainwater harvesting systems, sewage and water treatment plants, and the use of recycled water for landscaping.
Modi will also visit Dera Sachkhand Ballan in Jalandhar district, where he will participate in a public programme in honour of Sant Guru Ravidas and will offer floral tributes to the portrait of Sant Guru Ravidas and the statue of Sant Sarwan Dass, the second Gaddi-Nashin of the Dera. Then he will perform Ardas and undertake Parikrama.
Modi's visit to Dera Ballan this year is said to have been planned to expand his saffron party's base among the SC community, which accounts for 32 per cent of the population in Punjab, the highest such proportion among all states. As most of the SC population is concentrated in the Doaba region of the State, accounting for 45 per cent of the population in this belt.
Meanwhile, a day ahead of Modi's visit, four schools in Jalandhar received bomb threat mails on Saturday.
The emails reportedly linked the threats to the PM’s stance against Khalistani activities, specifically citing the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, Canada, on June 18, 2023.
``The anti-sabotage teams searched the schools and the areas surrounding the schools. No suspicious object or activity was detected during the comprehensive search operations,’’ she said. All schools in Jalandhar are closed today due to the shobha yatra of Guru Ravidas. Meanwhile security agencies are treating the threat seriously due to the high-profile visit. Investigations are underway to trace the origin of the email, assess its credibility, and ensure the safety of the religious site and surrounding areas, sadi sources.