Sec’bad Cantt to rename British-era roads after Indian heroes

t p venu I secunderabad

Gough Road, which connects All Saints Road to the AOC Centre and is named after Field Marshal Hugh Gough, a former Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, and Mornington Road, named after Lord Richard Wellesley, Earl of Mornington and Governor-General of the East India Company when Secunderabad was established, will soon be renamed. Along with these roads, 19 other roads and bazaars in the Secunderabad Cantonment area will also get new names.

Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) CEO Arvind Kumar Dwivedi said the Board approved the proposals at its meeting on Wednesday and the renaming process would be completed within 30 days.

An SCB member said it had long been felt that roads should be named after Indian war heroes and national icons. “We should celebrate the heroism of our own men and women,” the member said.

The Ministry of Defence had first proposed renaming roads across 62 Cantonment Boards in 2021, as many roads and buildings were named after British officers and soldiers loyal to the British Crown.

Under the new names, Bolton Road will become Atal Bihari Vajpayee Road, Noble Road will be renamed A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Road, and Lytton Road will become Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Road. Roads will also be named after Captain Vikram Batra and Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan.

Potnee Road will be renamed Tarapore Marg after Param Vir Chakra awardee Lt Col A.B. Tarapore, while Richardson Road will become Unnikrishnan Marg in honour of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who was killed during the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Wellington Road will be renamed Vikram Batra Marg, Gough Road will become Somnath Sharma Marg, Amherst Road will be renamed Abdul Hamid Marg, and Burton Road will become Santosh Babu Road.

In the bazaar area, Bearers Lines will be renamed Kartavya Nagar, 108 Bazar will become Infantry Bazar, and RA Pensioners Lines will be renamed Artillery Pensioners Lines.