With home ministry nod, Gurgaon gets a step closer to Gurugram

GURGAON: The city is a step closer to being renamed Gurugram, village of the guru.

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The Union home ministry has cleared the new name for Gurgaon, but the change will be effective only after the Haryana government releases a gazette notification, which is expected soon.

The BJP government of chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced on April 12 to change Gurgaon’s name to Gurugram and Mewat to Nuh based on public opinion, which relied on historical factors.

Khattar announced in Panchkula on Tuesday that the Centre has cleared the proposal.

“It is a welcome move keeping with the historical flavour of the area. Now, the government should focus on development” said Rao Inderjit Singh, local parliamentarian and Union junior minister for urban development and housing.

The area, according to Hindu epic Mahabharata, got its name when Pandavas and Kauravas donated land to their archery guru Dronacharya as gurudakshinaorfee. Thegurureportedly trained the princes at this very placeandusedtolivenearapond in a village in old Gurgaon.

The Haryana government sent the request on April 20 as the home ministry’s approval is required to change names of villages, towns, and districts. The home minister wrote back on September 22, clearing the Haryana government’s proposal.

After the gazette notification, the state government is required to send a notification to important offices, including that of the Survey of India in Dehradun, for necessary changes in their records.

But much before the Centre’s nod, Gurgaon police had already started using Gurugram.

“Gurgaon became a global brand not because of the name, but due to other reasons. Correcting a mistake (in name) does not mean it is going in the wrong direction” said Rishi Agarwal, president of Gurugram Gaurav Sanstha, a front that pushed for name-change.

His remarks were in response to doubts that the bustling city dotted with offices and factories of multinational companies may lose its brand value and business because of the renaming.

Deepak Ohlyan, the executive director of Dell, said the new name should bring a positive change in infrastructure and the city’s notorious traffic situation.

Former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda had suggested gaon instead of gram, both meaning village. He said gaon connects better with people.