Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 27: Former Union Minister and Member Legislative Assembly (MLA) Prof Chaman Lal Gupta has charged the ruling leaders with creating communal tensions by changing the names of historic places.
He said there appears a design which needed to be looked into seriously by the Governor and all other concerned at the Centre.
Commenting upon the objections being raised over the inclusion of some new name with the proposed Peer Kho to Bahu Fort Ropeway, Prof Gupta said both these places have their historic significance but it was strange that certain elements from within the Government also are trying to give new names with a design which needed a serious look by the State Governor and also by the men in authority at the Centre.
Prof Gupta recalled that the menace of changing the names of historic places had started from Pak held areas of the State. First of all in PoK the name of the river Kishan Ganga was changed by the name of Neelam and the Valley with the river was given the name of Neelam Valley. The place of Gopalpura was given the name of Fazalpura and the Bandhi Gopalpura in Poonch area was renamed as Abaspur. Similarly many other places were renamed there.
But it was strange that this highly pernicious process has crept in the Valley of Kashmir and in certain areas of Jammu too.
In this connection, he referred to renaming of Anantnag, Hariperbal, Shankevachanja and even Srinagar. He pointed out that this ulterior move is being extended to Jammu also and even in Government records such new names are being inserted. This is bound to generate communal tensions and bickering amongst the communities. All this needed a serious look that how the names of Hamza Colony, Fidouspura, Julalabad etc. have come up even in the colonies which have come ups in encroached land around Jammu City.
He also took strong exception to the use of the word of Jangjoo (warriors) instead of terrorists and extremists in the official records.
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