Maharashtra Government proposes to rename Elphinstone Road station to Prabhadevi
Elphinstone Road station. Courtesy: Wikimedia
After adding ‘Maharaj’ to the names of CST and International Airport, the Maharashtra Government on Friday proposed to rename Elphinstone Road station to Prabhadevi station.
The proposal was put forth by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the in the legislative assembly, and passed unanimously by the state cabinet.
While proposing the change, CM announced that the change to Prabhadevi was a longstanding demand from Shiv Sena leaders Diwakar Raote and Rahul Shewale.
The proposal to rename the Elphinstone Road railway station to Prabhadevi will now be forwarded to the centre for approval.
Elphinstone Road, a station on the Western line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway, was named after Lord Elphinstone, the Governor of Bombay from 1853 to 1860. Prabhadevi, meanwhile, is named after the 300 year old Prabhadevi temple located in the vicinity.
Just recently, the upcoming railway station is Oshiwara was also named ‘Ram Mandir’.
Earlier this month, the Maharashtra state cabinet also decided to change the names of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal by adding the missing title of ‘Maharaj’, befitting the stature of the legendary Maratha warrior king.
The new names for the airport and station were changed to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT).
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who presided over that meeting, said, “The demand for incorporating the word -Maharaj – was long pending. So, the cabinet gave its consent.”
The decision to modify the names is being touted as a political move to woo Maratha voters, who have been holding morchas across state demanding reservations, ahead of the upcoming civic polls.
The erstwhile Sahar International Airport was renamed as CSIA in 1999, the former Victoria Terminus, the UNESCO world heritage site and headquarters of the Central Railway was rechristened as CST in 1996.
Bombay was officially renamed as Mumbai in 1995 after the first Shiv Sena-BJP government ruled the state for five years.
