In a decision that could raise controversy, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry today issued an order naming the domestic terminal at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad after N T Rama Rao, the founder of Telugu Desam Party.

The Airport will carry the name of Rajiv Gandhi, but the domestic terminal that of NT Rama Rao, former Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh. This is just a restoration of the status existing in the earlier Begumpet Airport, the Ministry officially stated.

At Begumpet, the international terminal was called Rajiv Gandhi and domestic terminal was named after `NTR’, the thespian of Telugu cinema and former CM, by the then ruling Telugu Desam Government.

The Union Ministry of which the Cabinet Minister, Ashok Gajapati Raju hails from the State of Andhra Pradesh stated that it was not a case of renaming of the Airport, which requires a cabinet decision.

After the split of AP to create the State of Telangana, demands for renaming the RGIA with NTR voiced by leaders from TDP and others were met with stiff opposition from leaders of Telangana, especially the Telangana Rastra Samithi (TRS) Party and Government.

The RGIA, developed by the GMR Group with a Malaysian partner became operational in 2007-08. Though the initial planning was done during the Telugu Desam rule, the development was accelerated and completed during the Cong(I) regime led by YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

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Published on November 20, 2014