Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju today rejected the criticism of naming the domestic terminal at Hyderabad International Airport after former Chief Minister N T Rama Rao, saying the decision was taken in 1999.
Raju's comments came on a day when Telangana Assembly adopted a resolution requesting the Centre to "continue the status quo" and reconsider its decision to restore the name of Rao to the domestic terminal at Hyderabad International Airport.
"In the year 1999, the government took a decision, both at the state and government of India level, that the Hyderabad International Airport would be named after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and domestic terminal after Rao.
That decision has been fully implemented and the union cabinet has not changed its decision after 1999," he told reporters here.
Asked about his opinion on the resolution, Raju said that when a state government raises an issue, the Centre would look into it "according to merits".
"India is a federal structure and any state government is free to raise any issue with the union...... Whenever a state government raises any issue with the government of India, the Centre looks into the issue and goes according to the merits," he added.
The resolution adopted today said Telangana Assembly expressed its displeasure over the naming of the domestic terminal after NTR by dividing the existing Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad.
The Assembly objects to the manner in which the central government took the decision without even consulting Telangana government, it added.
The Assembly resolves requesting the Central government to reconsider its decision and continue status quo, it further said.
