Market in Ghaziabad renamed ‘Sita Ram Bazaar’ on signage, but official process pending

The signage was changed on Saturday following the corporation board’s approval of a renaming proposal in a Friday late-night meeting

A new identification board installed at the entrance of Ghaziabad’s popular Turab Nagar market now reads “Sita Ram Bazaar me aapka hardik swagat hai” (Welcome to Sita Ram Bazaar), even as officials maintain that the formal renaming process is yet to be completed.

Turab Nagar market in Ghaziabad on Sunday. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The signage, which includes the municipal corporation’s logo and names of local office bearers, traders’ association leaders, the city mayor, and local councillor Neeraj Goyal, was changed on Saturday following the corporation board’s approval of a renaming proposal in a Friday late-night meeting. However, Arun Kumar Yadav, additional municipal commissioner, clarified that the official process is incomplete, as the Namkaran Samiti (naming committee) must verify and finalise such proposals before formalisation. 

“The official minutes of the board meeting are yet to be released, and the naming process is still pending. Until the necessary steps are completed, the proposal remains just that—a proposal,” said Yadav.

Despite this, traders’ associations took it upon themselves to celebrate the decision, altering the board to reflect the proposed name change, officials said. Local councillor Neeraj Goyal further clarified that neither he nor any other authority from the municipal corporation gave any approval for the signage. “The description was changed by the local traders who were enthusiastic about the approval. This has nothing to do with me or the corporation,” he added.

In response, Subhash Chhabra, president of the “Turab Nagar Vyapari Welfare Association,” confirmed the traders’ role in the signage change, adding, “The traders were very excited after the corporation board approved the proposal, so we got the board altered and also put up banners in the market.” 

The market’s current official name is “Poorvi Ismail Khan,” though it has long been referred to as “Turab Nagar “in both verbal and written use, locals said.