~~ SHIRDI BANDH ~~

~ IN PROTEST OF SAI SANSTHAN'S

DONATION FOR SHIRDI AIRPORT ~
Wednesday 25th August`2010

On Friday, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan

and Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful
Patel will be laying the Foundation Stone of
Shirdi Airport.
The Airport, expected to be operational by
end of 2011, will be equipped for
International flights as well.

But the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple Trust’s

decision to give Rs.100 crore to the State
Government for the Airport has angered the
Devotees.

The Shirdi Villagers protesting Shirdi

Sansthan's donation for the Airport, using
 the Sansthan's Money,
had called for a total "Shirdi Bandh" on
Wednesday 25th August`2010. So, on
"Wednesday" the streets of Shirdi wore a
deserted look.
All Shops, Establishments etc were closed
and the Public Transport too was absent,
causing a lot of inconvenience for the
devotees there.
However, Baba's Samadhi Mandir was
kept open and so was the canteen, for
the benefit of the devotees.

The Shirdi Gram Villagers are also

demanding that a Law be made to prohibit
any Article of Sai Baba
to be taken out of Shirdi, for any purpose.

They have said that be it any amount they

will not allow the Sansthan to use even a
 Rupee for the Airport project,
and if their demands are not met, they will
go on a Hunger Strike, come out on the
roads to protest and will wave Black Flags
on
27th August`2010 during the laying of Shirdi
Airport's Foundation Stone.

The Rs.380-crore project needs 400 acre of

land, of which 300 acre has been acquired
with help of the government aid of around
Rs.40 crore
while the Shirdi Sai Sansthan had earlier
agreed to pay Rs.50 crore, together with
other expected donations.
but, it is now rumored that the Sansthan will
be coughing out Rs.100 crore instead of the
Rs.50 crore it had originally offered.

According to the devotees, the Airport and

other infrastructure in Maharashtra is all the
duty of the State Government
and so the Shirdi Sansthan should not
provide funds for any of those projects,
including the Shirdi Airport.

Trustee and state Transport Minister

Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, who approves of
the Trust’s move, said:
“The Trust took a decision Two years ago in
the interest of Devotees. The Airport will
offer faster connectivity.”

But former MP Shri.Balasaheb Vikhe-Patil

said that the Trust should not give the
amount
as the Government has paid for the Land
that it acquired for the Airport. “Local people
and Devotees don’t want this to happen.
We all want the Centre and State
 Governments to take care of the Airport
project,” he said adding that "the Airport
would help
corporate fliers who frequent the Industrial
estates being developed in Ahmednagar &
Nashik districts."

Pramod Kadve, a devotee from Mumbai,

said Rs 100 crore could be used to extend
facilities to the poor & the Farmers.
“An Airport will benefit the Rich. The Trust
should not splurge on providing five-star
facilities to the Rich.”

Trust chairman Jayant Sasane said that the

Trust members will meet to review the
situation. “The Radhakrishna Patil will take
a Final call.”
The Maharashtra Airport Development
Corporation (MADC) is the nodal agency for
 the Shirdi Airport project.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErVsvwsax
e0&feature=player_embedded