Pune: Deputy CM Ajit Pawar Vows Full Commitment to Establishing a Government Airport in Pune

Pune: During a felicitation ceremony for esteemed teachers organised by Chintamani Jnanpeeth and Appa Renuse Mitra Parivar at Ganesh Kala Krida Manch on Saturday, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar addressed a long-standing concern of Pune’s residents: the absence of a government airport. Pawar acknowledged the regret shared by many Pune citizens, including himself, regarding this issue and expressed his commitment to resolving it.

“One of the regrets of the people of Pune, including me, is that we do not have a government airport. It should be there. At present, what is there belongs to the defence department. We have held many meetings for the cause of our separate airport. But there is no way forward. People hesitate to give land for it. But we will give our 100 percent to fulfil this dream of Pune residents,” said Ajit Pawar, during the event.

Pawar also highlighted ongoing efforts to secure classical language status for Marathi. He emphasised the cultural and historical significance of Marathi and the widespread desire among Maharashtra’s residents for this recognition.
“The Marathi language must get the status of a classical language. We are trying for that. We have recently passed a resolution in the legislature and have sent it to the central government. Thirteen crore people in the state are waiting for Marathi to get the status of classical language,” Pawar stated, reaffirming the government’s commitment to this cause.

The ceremony also included a lighthearted moment when Pawar repeatedly referred to the renowned cartoonist S.D. Fadnis as “Fadnavis,” prompting whispers and chuckles in the audience. This slip was speculated to be due to Pawar’s frequent mentions of his political colleague, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The humorous mix-up sparked a brief discussion among attendees.