Uttarakhand renames 15 sites in state to promote ‘heritage’

Uttarakhand government renames 15 places to honor Indian culture, sparking praise from BJP and criticism from Congress for timing amid festivals.

Published on: Apr 1, 2025, 05:56:07 IST

By Neeraj Santoshi, Dehradun

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The Uttarakhand government on Monday announced the renaming of 15 places in Haridwar, Dehradun, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts in the state.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. (ANI)

The change of names was done in accordance with “public sentiments, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said while making the announcement.

“Taking an important decision today, chief minister Dhami has announced the change in the names of various places located in Haridwar, Dehradun, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts,” the statement said further.

“The change of names is being done in accordance with public sentiments, Indian culture and heritage so that people can take inspiration from the great men who contributed to Indian culture and its preservation,” Dhami said while making the announcement.

In the Haridwar district, Aurangzebpur will be renamed Shivaji Nagar, Ghaziwali will be renamed Arya Nagar, Chandpur will be renamed Jyotiba Phule Nagar, Mohammadpur Jat will be renamed Mohanpur Jat, Khanpur Kursali will be renamed Ambedkar Nagar, Idrishpur as Nandpur, Khanpur as Krishanpur and Akbarpur Fazalpur as Vijaynagar.

In the Dehradun district, Mianwala will be renamed Ramji Wala, Peerwala as Kesari Nagar, Chandpur Khurd as Prithviraj Nagar and Abdullah Nagar as Daksh Nagar.

In Nainital district, Nawabi Road will be renamed Atal Marg and Panchakki to ITI road will be renamed Guru Golwalkar Marg.

In Udham Singh Nagar district, Nagar Panchayat Sultanpur Patti will be renamed Kaushalya Puri.

State BJP media-in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan said the decision will promote the country’s heritage and culture.

“This decision is highly commendable. Our party welcomes it. The chief minister has been working for the state’s culture and heritage, whether it is addressing the issue of demographic change or working in the interest of the state. This decision is another step in that direction. For centuries, the legacy of foreign invaders had been prevailing in our country, despite the immense atrocities they inflicted upon us. Renaming so many places named after foreign invaders will help promote our heritage and culture,” he said.

However, Congress state vice president Suryakant Dhasmana slammed the decision, saying that the “timing of the announcement is very questionable”.

“When people are celebrating Eid and Navratri, the timing of making such an announcement is very questionable and unfortunate. This makes it clear that BJP government in the state is brazenly taking ahead its agenda of religious polarisation . They are not focussing on pressing issues like unemployment and hill migration in the state, but rather on such divisive issues like this which has nothing to do with the development of the state.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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