Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government's proposal to rename a town and a district in the state has been approved by the Union government, PTI reported.
The MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has tweeted that the government cleared a proposal that sought the district of Hoshangabad to be renamed as Narmadapuram and the town of Babai to be renamed as Makhan Nagar. The latter's name was suggested after the famous Hindi poet and journalist Makhanlal Chaturvedi.
The CM further tweeted that he conveys his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing people's aspirations to reality. The changes will be effective once the state government issues a notification.
The state government's website said that Hoshang Shah Ghori, the second king to Malwa of the Ghori dynasty, captured the region, and it got the name after the king. The region's actual name was Narmadapur, the website said. The website further noted that there were no records of history regarding the Hoshangabad district, but the name first appeared in history when Sultan Hoshang Shah Ghori ruled in 1405 AD. The sultan had built a small fort there and two more at Handia and Joga, the website said.
Meanwhile, the state Congress aimed a slap at the Chouhan government. Congress spokesperson, Narendra Saluja, said that Hoshangabad in the banks Narmada has been renamed to Narmadapuram. But the river is subjected to illegal sand mining, and it is disfigured. Saluja asked when will the illegal sand mining in the river. Naming the district after the river, the government should resolve to stop the illicit mining too, he said.