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Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh:In a move that could lead to Ghaziabad’s name change, a proposal has been put forth by a BJP councillor, with the Ghaziabad civic body slated to deliberate on the matter in its Tuesday board meeting. The suggested alternatives for the city’s new name are Gajnagar and Harnandi Nagar. Given the BJP’s strong majority in the civic body, the proposal is poised to face minimal resistance.
Given the BJP’s substantial majority in the Ghaziabad civic body, the likelihood of the name change gaining approval appears high. Mayor Sunita Dayal highlighted that while there have been prior requests for a name alteration, this marks the first executive-level discussion on the matter.
Sanjay Singh, who introduced the proposal, emphasized Ghaziabad’s historical significance, advocating for a name that truly reflects its heritage. Supporting this viewpoint, Mahant Narayan Giri of Dudheshwar Nath temple cited Ghaziabad’s historical association with Hastinapur, the capital of the Kuru Kingdom as mentioned in Hindu scriptures.
Uttar Pradesh has been at the forefront of place-name alterations. Notable changes include Allahabad’s transformation to Prayagraj in 2018. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s proposal in 2020 to rename Ghagra river as Saryu and subsequent changes like the renaming of Faizabad junction to Ayodhya Cantonment in 2021 underscore this trend.
Adding to the list, the Union Home Ministry recently approved the renaming of Mundera Baazar in Gorakhpur district to Chauri-Chaura and Telia Afghan village in Deoria district to Telia Shukla, reflecting the ongoing efforts to align place names with historical and cultural narratives.
