The Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) has approved the renaming of 21 British-era roads and four bazaar areas after Indian martyrs, military heroes and eminent personalities, replacing colonial-era names as part of a wider national initiative to remove vestiges of British rule.
There is now a road in Hyderabad named after Kargil war hero Captain Vikram Batra. A blue signboard bearing the name ‘Vikram Batra Marg’ in English, Hindi and Telugu has appeared near the Army Ordnance Corps (AOC) Centre Chowk in Secunderabad, signalling the renaming of the road previously known as Wellington Road.
Locals have expressed happiness over naming the road after the Kargil martyr in place of the Duke of Wellington, who defeated Napoleon Bonaparte and served twice as the Prime Minister of England.
About 2.5 kilometres away, near the Parade Ground Metro Station, another signboard proclaiming ‘Atal Bihari Vajpayee Road’ has come up. The road leading to Bolton Road near Gunrock Enclave in Secunderabad has now been named after the former Prime Minister.
Secunderabad Cantonment occupies a unique place in the country’s history. The Army Ordnance Corps (AOC) based there has a history spanning more than 200 years. Roads in the area, which had borne the names of British rulers for decades, are now being named after martyrs, patriots and eminent personalities who laid down their lives for India.
Removing colonial legacies, 21 road stretches and four bazaar areas in the Secunderabad Cantonment region will be named after prominent Indians, military officers and soldiers who fought in wars for the country and sacrificed their lives.
Accordingly, Lytton Road will be renamed as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Road, Burton Road as Santosh Babu Marg after Colonel Santosh Babu, the Telangana officer who laid down his life during the Galwan clash, and Noble Road as APJ Abdul Kalam Marg.
Richardson Road is being named after Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who was martyred during the Mumbai terror attacks, while Patny Road is being named after Lieutenant Colonel A.B. Tarapore. Cornwallis Road is being renamed as Swami Vivekananda Marg, while Gough Road will become Param Vir Chakra Somnath Sharma Marg.
The Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB), at its meeting chaired by Board President Brigadier S. Rajeev on Wednesday, approved the renaming of these 21 British-era roads, SCB Chief Executive Officer Arvind Kumar Dwivedi said.
“The process of removing colonial-era names from the existing roads and assigning new names will be completed within a month,” Dwivedi said.
Other roads will be named in honour of Param Vir Chakra awardees and military personnel, including Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid, Major Somnath Sharma, Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, Naik Jadunath Singh, Lieutenant Colonel Dhan Singh Thapa and Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria.
In the bazaar area, Hare Road will be renamed as Tarbund Temple Road, 108 Bazaar as Infantry Bazaar, and RA Pensioners Lines as Artillery Pensioners Line.
Along with the roads, the board has also approved the renaming of four bazaar areas within the Cantonment limits. The old names have been removed and the roads and bazaars have been named after brave military officers and soldiers who fought in wars and sacrificed their lives for the country.
Officials said the renaming exercise undertaken at the local level is in line with a broader national directive.
The Ministry of Defence had first proposed in 2021 that roads within the jurisdiction of all 62 Cantonment Boards across India be renamed. Many roads and buildings in these Cantonment Boards had earlier been named after British officials and soldiers who had remained loyal to the colonial administration.
