Uttar Pradesh: 8 railway stations in Lucknow division officially renamed; Akhilesh Yadav slams BJP govt

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The officials said that eight railway stations in Lucknow division of Northern Railways were officially renamed after saints and freedom fighters on Tuesday.

Akhilesh Yadav slams BJP govt for renaming railway stations

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However, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav hit out at the BJP government over the renaming eight railway stations in Lucknow division and said it should instead focus on improving the condition of railway stations and preventing train accidents, reported PTI.

According to an order issued by the Northern Railways, Kasimpur Halt Railway Station will now be known as Jais City Railway Station, Jais as Guru Gorakhnath Dham, Misrauli as Maa Kalikan Dham, and Bani as Swami Paramhans.

Similarly, the name of Nihalgarh Railway Station was changed to Maharaja Bijli Pasi Railway Station, Akbarganj to Maa Ahorwa Bhawani Dham, Warisganj to Amar Shahid Bhale Sultan, and Fursatganj to Tapeshwarnath Dham.

Stations renamed after demand was made by former Amethi MP Smriti Irani

The railway stations in Lucknow division were renamed after a demand was made by former Amethi MP Smriti Irani to preserve the cultural identity and heritage of the place, reported PTI.

Irani made the announcement regarding the change of names on social media in March, reported PTI.

The Kasimpur Halt station was named after Kasimpur village which is quite far away. Therefore, Jais City was proposed as the new name, a senior railway official said.

As prominent Guru Gorakhnath Dham ashram is near the Jais station, it was proposed that the station be renamed after the ashram, he said.

The official said there are several temples of Lord Shiva and Goddess Kali near Mishrauli, Bani, Akbarganj and Fursatganj railway stations and they were renamed accordingly, he said.

The Nihalgarh station is located in an area that has a sizeable population of Pasis who are mostly farmers. Hence, it was renamed after Maharaja Bijli Pasi, a king from the community, the official said.

Warisganj is known for the bravery of Bhale Sultan who fought against the British in 1857 and the station was renamed after him, he said.

Attacking the Yogi Adityanath government in the state, Yadav said, "The BJP government is requested to also change the condition of railway stations along with the names," reported PTI.

"And when you are done with changing the names, think about preventing record-breaking rail accidents," he said, reported PTI.

(With inputs from PTI)