Mumbai, March 13: The Maharashtra government, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has approved a proposal to rename eight railway stations in Mumbai, discarding their British-era names in favour of ones with local relevance. Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale, representing the Mumbai South-Central constituency, has been a vocal advocate for this change, which aims to reflect the city’s cultural heritage more accurately. Mumbai Coastal Road Timings: Traffic Police Shares Timings As Coastal Road Between Worli and Marine Drive Opens for Public; Check Details.

This decision follows a pattern of renaming in the city, with previous examples including Victoria Terminus becoming Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Oshiwara station to Ram Mandir, and Elphinstone Road to Prabhadevi. The move reflects a broader trend of reevaluating colonial legacies in public spaces. Mumbai: Scaffolding Collapses From 16th Floor of Building in Borivali, Three People Killed.

The Stations on the Central Railway Network Set for Renaming Are:

  • Curry Road to Lalbaug

  • Sandhurst Road to Dongri

  • Cotton Green to Kalachowki

  • Dockyard Road to Mazgaon

  • King’s Circle to Tirthankar Parshwanath

On the Western Railway's Network, the Changes Include:

  • Marine Lines to Mumba Devi

  • Charni Road to Girgaon

  • Mumbai Central to Nana Jagannath Shankarsheth

The proposal has already been sent to the Centre for Mumbai Central and has sparked debate. Bharat Gothoskar, founder of the Khaki Heritage Foundation, opposes such changes, arguing that they erase historical context. He points out that some names, like Charni Road and Marine Lines, are not colonial but are derived from local landmarks and history. Meanwhile, names linked to British governors, such as Grand Road and Reay Road, remain unchanged.

In 2017, the Union government renamed the Elphinstone Road station, originally named after Lord Elphinstone, the Governor of the Bombay Presidency from 1853 to 1860, to Prabhadevi station. This change honours the nearby Prabhadevi temple, a significant cultural landmark. The same year witnessed the renaming of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a historic railway station in south Mumbai. Formerly known as Victoria Terminus, after Queen Victoria, the station’s name was enriched with the honorific ‘Maharaj’ to become Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), further cementing its connection to the Maratha Empire’s revered king.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 13, 2024 11:26 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).