NEW DELHI: In a sharp critique of the Uttar Pradesh government‘s decision to rename seven railway stations in the Northern Railways, Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav took to social media to slam the administration, urging them to prioritise railway safety over name changes.
In his post on X (formerly Twitter), Yadav wrote, “And when you get free time from changing names, then take some time out and think about preventing record-breaking railway accidents.” His comments came in response to the recent announcement by the Railway ministry, which approved the renaming of eight railway stations in Amethi district.
The renaming proposal was initially sent to the ministry of home affairs (MHA) by former Amethi MP Smriti Irani in February. The MHA gave its approval in March, leading to the following name changes:
In his post on X (formerly Twitter), Yadav wrote, “And when you get free time from changing names, then take some time out and think about preventing record-breaking railway accidents.” His comments came in response to the recent announcement by the Railway ministry, which approved the renaming of eight railway stations in Amethi district.
The renaming proposal was initially sent to the ministry of home affairs (MHA) by former Amethi MP Smriti Irani in February. The MHA gave its approval in March, leading to the following name changes:
- Kasimpur Halt as Jais City.
- Jais as Guru Gorakhnath Dham.
- Bani as Swami Paramhans.
- Misrauli as Maa Kalikan Dham.
- Nihalgarh as Maharaja Bijli Pasi.
- Akabarganj as Maa Ahorwa Bhawani Dham.
- Warisganj as Amar Shahid Bhale Sultan.
- Fursatganj as Tapeshwarnath Dham.
The implementation of these changes was delayed due to the model code of conduct during the Lok Sabha elections. However, on Tuesday, the Railway ministry issued the official notification for the renaming.
“Due to the model code of conduct during Lok Sabha elections, the renaming of the railway stations was not implemented, but on Tuesday, the railway ministry finally issued notification about the changes. Soon the railway CRIS (Centre for Railway Information Systems) will also update the renamed railway stations,” said Rekha Sharma, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager of Lucknow Division, Northern Railways, reports Arvind Chauhan.