Maha govt seeks proposal from district administration to rename Ahmednagar as `Ahilyadevi Nagar'

The Maharashtra government has asked the district administration to submit a proposal to rename Ahmednagar as `Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Nagar', it told the Legislative Council here on Wednesday.

Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar made the statement in reply to a question during Question Hour.

He, however, did not specify whether the government intended to rename the city of Ahmednagar in central Maharashtra or the district of which it is the headquarters, or both.

The name Ahmednagar is derived from its 15th century ruler Ahmed Nizam Shah I.

The directives were issued on September 7 to Ahmednagar district collector as well as the concerned divisional commissioner, Kesarkar said.

The government has also written to the commissioner of the Ahmednagar municipal corporation, divisional railway manager, senior post master and tehsildar for sending such proposals, the minister said. After receiving the proposal, it will be tabled before the state cabinet for approval and later forwarded to the Union government for final decision, Kesarkar added.