Changing a road’s name: history, process, and growing demand

Ashok Singhal, a leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), has been formally honored with the renaming of the Ghatiya Azam Khan Road, in Agra, on Sunday. On November 26, Maharaja Agrasen Marg was rechristened as  Mughal Road in Agra.

How does a road get its name changed?

Changes to the name of any road can be requested from the municipal council responsible for making and maintaining that road. In order to change the name of a government agency, the agency must request the change to the council, which will ultimately decide. In recent years, the municipal council has received requests to change the names of eminent personalities, national heroes, and individuals who have achieved extraordinary things. Nonetheless, the new name shouldn’t have any adverse effects on permanent fixtures, such as the post office and other historical landmarks.

As many big Indian cities like Kolkata and Mumbai have seen their names change, this is not a new phenomenon. There are also cities like Cochin and Bangalore that have changed their names to Kochi and Bengaluru. Many roads were renamed post-independence after being constructed during the British Raj. In the past, some of Delhi’s popular roads, such as Hasting Road and Wellesely Road, have been renamed Krishna Menon Marg and Dr Zakir Hussain Marg, respectively.

The following are some recent name changes in India:

• In 2016, Race Course Road became Lok Kalyan Marg in Delhi. The Indian Prime Minister lives on this road. Arvind Kejriwal presided over a high-level meeting of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) that took this decision.
• In 2018, the government of Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh changed the name of Allahabad to Prayagraj.
• Kalyan Singh was posthumously honored by the UP government, which renamed one road in his name in six districts: Lucknow, Ayodhya, Etah, Bulandshehr, Prayagraj, and Aligarh.
• In Uttar Pradesh, the Faizabad Railway Station has been renamed the Ayodhya Cantt Railway Station.
• Rani Kamplapati Railway Station has been renamed to Habibganj Railway Station in Madhya Pradesh.
• On November 26, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced the renaming of the iconic Minto Hall in Bhopal to Kushabhau Thakre Convention Centre.
• When Delhi BJP leader Vijay Goel renamed Babar Road to 5 August Marg in 2020, there was a lot of controversy.
• Delhi’s Pragati Maidan Metro Station was renamed the Supreme Court Metro Station.

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Naveen Jain, the mayor of Agra who attended the event, said that the process will continue to change the names of places that were established during the slave trade.