Largest marshalling yard in Asia. (Source: Express Photo/Anand Singh)
THE ICONIC Mughalsarai railway station near Varanasi is all set to be renamed as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya (DDU) station, after the Jan Sangh leader who died in 1968. Officials told The Indian Express that the central government has approved a proposal from the Yogi Adityanath Cabinet in Uttar Pradesh to rename the station as part of its attempts to revive the legacy of Upadhyaya.
Officials said that a no-objection certificate (NOC) will be sent to the UP government soon. They said that the Intelligence Bureau, Geographical Survey of India, Department of Posts, Ministry of Earth Sciences and Ministry of Railways have informed the Union Home Ministry that they have “no objection” to renaming the station. Under government guidelines for renaming railway stations, villages, towns and cities, it is mandatory for state governments to obtain an NOC from the Home Ministry.
“There was no adverse report from any agency and once the NOC is handed over to the state government, they can remove the name Mughalsarai. A notification will be issued by the Public Works Department of Uttar Pradesh informing the Department of Posts and GSI so that the general public do not face any inconvenience when referring to Mughalsarai railway station as DDU station,” said a senior government official.
Sources said the railway ministry has also been asked to make changes in its records so that there is no ambiguity for passengers while making reservations. In its proposal, the UP government pointed to the mysterious death of Upadhyaya at the Mughalsarai station as one of the primary reasons to rename the station, said another official. Mughalsarai is the largest marshalling yard in Asia and is considered one of the oldest railway stations.
In June, the UP government gave its green signal for the proposal to rename the station after Upadhyaya. In July, the Home Ministry received a request from UP for a no-objection certificate (NOC). In April, the UP government had decided to name the Agra airport after Upadhyaya. Last month, the Home Ministry granted an NOC to rename Farah Town railway station near Mathura in UP after Upadhyaya.
The proposal to rename Farah Town was pending before the Centre since last year and was first made by the previous Akhilesh Yadav government. Upadhyaya was born in Nagla Chandrabhan village near Mathura. In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Nagla Chandrabhan to mark the first anniversary of the NDA government after the house in which Upadhyaya stayed was renovated.
