Rename Lansdowne after Rifleman Jaswant Singh or CDS Bipin Rawat; locals refuse both
Stakeholders — business firms, social and political organisations, and hoteliers — unanimously refused renaming Lansdowne.
Around four months after the Lansdowne Cantonment Board proposed renaming the hill town of Uttarakhand to Jaswantgarh — after rifleman Jaswant Singh, one of the heroes of the 1962 India-China war, the district administration held a meeting with stakeholders on Monday to see if they agreed to name it after the first chief of defence staff (CDS) late Bipin Rawat, The Times of India reported.
The stakeholders — business firms, social and political organisations, and hoteliers — unanimously refused renaming the town stating that it would prove costly in terms of tourism, which is the main source of economy for the town.
The report added that BJP MLA Dilip Singh Rawat, who was vocal against the renaming of the town, stayed away from the Monday meeting.
The proposal to rename Lansdowne after CDS Rawat has been sent to the Centre after chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced it in early April.
Civil society members said while they weren't against naming the city after Rawat, they felt that renaming Lansdowne altogether would not do any good unless basic facilities were provided in the city. They also proposed that instead of naming the city after Rawat, the cantonment board hospital could be named after the CDS.
Lansdowne Hotels' Association president TC Sharma told the daily that the government should first focus on upgrading facilities. He added, “We neither have good medical facilities here nor any higher educational institutions for our children. Before changing the name of a tourist town that has earned goodwill among tourists over the years, the government should consider all aspects and think about our concerns positively.”
Stating that it was extremely confusing, Sharma said the defence officials wanted to rename the town to Jaswantgarh, whereas the government wanted to name it after the CDS.
Sub-divisional magistrate Shalini Maurya said all the stakeholder put forth their views which will be conveyed to the state government. “Most of them are not in favour of changing the name of the town. We were instructed to hold a meeting with locals to know their views and inform the government about it,” she said.