india

Updated: Aug 26, 2019 19:44 IST

Manipur’s Legislative Assembly on Monday resolved to rename Imphal international airport after local hero Bir Tikendrajit, who fought valiantly against the British.

A resolution was passed by the house of 60 legislators without much debate after Chief Minister (CM) Nongthombam Biren Singh moved it on Monday, the first day of the two-day assembly session.

Highlighting the initiative taken up by the then Congress-led government in acquiring nearly 500 acres of land in one go for the airport’s expansion some years ago, former CM and current leader of the opposition Okram Ibobi Singh welcomed the move. Imphal’s airport is strategically important as it can connect to most of Southeast Asian countries, he said.

Manipuri prince Koireng, popularly known as Bir Tikendrajit, was a nationalist of Manipuri origin who is famous for his attempts to save his land from British domination. He was the son of Manipur’s King Chandrakriti and the commander of the army of the independent Kingdom of Manipur.

He was hanged to death at a ground in Imphal in 1891 for waging war against the British. The ground where he was hanged was subsequently named Bir Tikendrajit Park.

In November 2007, the then government also inaugurated the state’s first flyover and named it after Bir Tikendrajit to commemorate his patriotism.

Imphal airport, located around 7 km south of the state capital, is the second largest and second busiest airport in the northeast after the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International airport in Assam’s state capital Guwahati.

Bir Tikendrajit International Airport connects northeastern India with the country’s major cities such as Bengaluru, Delhi, Guwahati, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai. More than ten flights land at the airport from different destinations every day. Recently, Union Civil Aviation Ministry had approved the commencement of international flights between Imphal and Mandalay Township in northern Myanmar.