Assam to change place names | Media Pyro

The Assam government has decided to change the names of places that do not reflect the culture of the State, said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Mr. Sarma, on Wednesday, tweeted that the government will soon launch a website where it will invite suggestions for changing the names of towns and villages that “degrade our civilization, culture and offend any caste or community”. .

He said that the name of a city, town or village represents its culture, heritage and civilization.

Advise social media users

Reacting to the tweet, social media users advised against changing some of the English names of places like Digboi and Margherita which are associated with the birth of the oil and coal industry in Assam in the 1800s.

Digboi, known as one of the oldest oil fields, said to derive its name from “dig, boy, dig”, British engineer WL Lake urged the locals to dig deep. continue to dig for crude oil which the Elephant accidentally discovered in 1867. Some local historians attribute the name to Diboi Nallah, a stream that runs through the oil town.

Another such name is Margherita, a city named by Italian railway engineer Chevalier Roberto Paganini in honor of his country’s queen.

Rename policy

Opposition parties said the Chief Minister has taken a leaf out of his Uttar Pradesh counterpart, Yogi Adityanath’s book to enter politics by changing his name.

“Every name given at a particular time has a history. It has something appropriate. The names given may be related to a historical person or a local flavor or even a funny incident attached to it. We regret such an attempt to change history,” Congress leader Bobeeta Sharma said.

“She [BJP] they should concentrate on creating a new history by doing some good works for the State and the country that will remain in the memory of the people instead of violating what has already existed,” she added.

“They should focus only on the basic problems people are facing in daily life during BJP rule. Changing names is not a basic problem these days. If we consider the logic of the CM, how does Deendayal Upadhyaya fit into the culture and civilization of Assam? said the leader. Assam Jatiya Parishad Jagadish Bhuyan.