Mumbai Local Train Stations to Get New Names in Cultural Reshaping

The Maharashtra legislative council and assembly passed resolutions to rename seven Mumbai local train stations. The government, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, BJP, and Ajit Pawar's NCP, aims to replace colonial names with culturally resonant ones. The new names await Union government approval.

The Maharashtra legislative council and assembly unanimously passed resolutions on Tuesday to rename seven stations on the Mumbai local train network.

The Mahayuti government, which includes Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, the BJP, and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar's NCP, will submit the new names to the Union government for approval.

State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandrakant Patil moved the resolution in the Council, where it was adopted unanimously.

Currently, most stations on the Mumbai local train network have names in English, reflecting a colonial legacy.

According to the resolution, Currey Road station will be renamed Lalbaug, Sandhurst Road as Dongri, Marine Lines as Mumbadevi, and Charni Road as Girgaon.

The renaming of Sandhurst Road will be effective on both the Central Line and the Harbour Line.

Other stations to be renamed include Cotton Green to Kalachowki, Dockyard Road to Mazgaon, and King's Circle to Tirthankar Parswanath.

This move follows previous renamings, such as Victoria Terminus (VT) to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Elphinstone Road to Prabhadevi.

Leader of the Opposition Ambadas Danve questioned the renaming of Aurangabad airport in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city. However, a discussion on this topic was deferred by Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe.

The Maharashtra government had earlier changed Aurangabad and Osmanabad districts' names to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv. In the legislative assembly, the proposal was moved by Minister Dada Bhuse. Additionally, Congress's Nitin Raut suggested renaming Dadar station to Chaityabhoomi, in honor of Dr. B R Ambedkar.

(With inputs from agencies.)