Proposal to Rename Bagdogra Airport Stirs Controversy

PRASHANT ACHARYA, EOI, SILIGURI, NOVEMBER 7, 2024 : Residents of Bagdogra, including social organizations, have come forward to oppose the proposed change of name for Bagdogra Airport. Some business community leaders of Siliguri, under the umbrella of various organizations, including the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), have argued that the current name creates confusion, as many people coming from outside West Bengal have no idea whether the airport is located in Siliguri or elsewhere.

Muktomona, a non-governmental organization based in Bagdogra, has stated that the current name is a legacy of the local people and should not be changed. Muktomona’s general secretary, Jayanta Tarak Dey, said on Thursday: “The airport was under Bagdogra Air Force Camp, set up on November 29, 1962, during the Sino-Indian War, and the name has been there for a long time. Bagdogra people are not in favor of changing the name. The name 'Bagdogra' must not be changed.”

The controversy erupted after former CII Chairman Sanjay Tibrewal was quoted in a vernacular newspaper suggesting that the name of Bagdogra Airport should be changed to Siliguri Airport. He had said that the CII North Bengal zone would send the proposal to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the name change.

Representatives of the Rajbanshi community, in a news conference at the Siliguri Journalist Club on Thursday, argued that Bagdogra is a Kamtapuri word meaning “Tiger Roars” and emphasized that the name should not be altered. They suggested that if the name must be changed, it should be renamed Vishwaveer Chilarai, after the celebrated general of the Koch dynasty, who ruled Cooch Behar in the 16th century.

Meanwhile, members of the Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network (HHTDN) have proposed that the airport be named after either mountaineer Tenzing Norgay or poet Rabindranath Tagore. HHTDN general secretary Samrat Sanyal said it would be appropriate if the airport were named after Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore or Everest hero Tenzing Norgay.

Army veteran T.K. Shrestha, who lives in Bagdogra, felt there was no need to change the name of the airport. “As locals, it would suit us perfectly if it is called Bagdogra International Airport,” he said. Echoing his views, another resident, Anand Pradhan, said: “All of us residents of Bagdogra want it to be named Bagdogra International Airport.” Pradhan questioned why the airport, which has been known by the name of its location since its inception as an Air Force station in 1962, should be renamed now. “It is about the sentiments of all us Bagdogra residents,” he said.