Mumbai's King's Circle, Sandhurst Road to become history

The Maharashtra legislative council on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution to rename seven stations on the Mumbai local train network.

The Mahayuti government, comprising Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the BJP, and NCP led by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, will now submit the new names to the Union government for approval.

The resolution, moved by state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandrakant Patil, was adopted unanimously.

Names of most of the stations on the Mumbai local train network are in English, and it has been argued that they carry a colonial legacy.

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

The renaming of Sandhurst Road will be effective on the Central Line as well as the Harbour Line.

Among other stations, Cotton Green station will be renamed Kalachowki, Dockyard Road as Mazgaon, and King's Circle as Tirthankar Parswanath.

Notably, Mumbai had witnessed such changes before, with iconic stations like Victoria Terminus (VT) renamed to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Elphinstone Road to Prabhadevi, which adding to the momentum of embracing culturally resonant nomenclature for public spaces.

Meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition in the council, Ambadas Danve, raised a question regarding renaming the airport in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city, currently called Aurangabad airport.

However, Danve's demand for discussion was rejected by deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe, stating the concerned minister could respond to his query later.

The Maharashtra government had previously changed the names of Aurangabad and Osmanabad districts in Marathwada region to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv, respectively.