Uttarakhand CM Dhami renames Gajiwali village, locals rejoice in celebration

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced the renaming of several places in the state. The changes have been made in the districts of Haridwar, Dehradun, Nainital, and Udham Singh Nagar. This decision has been taken to respect the sentiments of local people and honor Indian culture and heritage.

People in Haridwar district were especially happy as their long-standing demand to rename Gajiwali village was fulfilled. The village is now called Arya Nagar. Many other villages in the region have also been given new names. The local residents had been requesting these changes for a long time, and now that their wish has been granted, they celebrated with great enthusiasm.

A resident of the village, Devendra Singh Negi, expressed his joy. "The atmosphere is like a festival—just like Diwali or Holi. We have been waiting for this for a long time. Earlier, we had made a request to former minister Yatishwaranand Swami. He took our request to Chief Minister Dhami, and now it has been approved," he said.

To mark the occasion, people in the village played drums, distributed sweets, and even took a day off to celebrate.

Chief Minister Dhami supports the decision

On Monday, CM Dhami made the official announcement regarding the renaming of 11 places in four districts. While speaking to reporters, he explained the reason behind the decision. "The names of places should match the culture and sentiments of the local people. We have made this change to respect the wishes of the people," he said.

The official statement from the government also mentioned that this initiative aims to honor great personalities who have contributed to the preservation of Indian culture.

One of the villagers, Subodh Kumar Gupta, shared his happiness about the renaming of Gajiwali to Arya Nagar. "I want to thank CM Dhami on behalf of all the villagers. This is a step towards development. Our future generations will benefit from this change. Earlier, people were not aware of our village due to its name, but now, they will recognize us," he said.

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In addition to Gajiwali, other villages in Haridwar district have also been renamed. Aurangzebpur is now called Shivaji Nagar, Chandpur has become Jyotiba Phule Nagar, Mohammadpur Jat is renamed Mohanpur Jat, Khanpur Kursli is now Ambedkar Nagar, Indrishpur has been changed to Nandpur, Khanpur is now Shri Krishna Pur, and Akbarpur Fazalpur is renamed Vijayanagar.

The government believes that these name changes will help in strengthening cultural identity and give people a sense of pride in their heritage. The renaming of villages is expected to encourage people by honoring Indian traditions and historical figures.

Local leaders and residents welcomed this step. They believe that renaming villages with culturally significant names will help future generations connect better with their roots. The state government plans to continue such efforts to preserve the cultural heritage of Uttarakhand.