Ready to rename Ahmedabad as Karnavati: Gujarat govt
Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Nov 6: Hours after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced the renaming of Faizabad district as Ayodhya, the Gujarat government Tuesday said it was keen on rechristening Ahmedabad as Karnavati, if there were no legal hurdles.
Speaking to reporters in Gandhinagar, deputy chief minister Nitin Patel said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was willing to change Ahmedabad's name if it gets past the legal hurdles and receives required support.
"People are still having a feeling that Ahmedabad should be renamed as Karnavati. If we get required support to overcome the legal hurdles, we are always ready to change the name of the city," Patel told reporters when asked if the state government had a plan to rename India's only city having the 'World Heritage' tag.
Historically, the area around Ahmedabad has been inhabited since the 11th century, when it was known as Ashaval.
Chalukya ruler Karna of Anhilwara (modern Patan) had waged a successful war against the Bhil king of Ashaval and established a city called Karnavati on the banks of the Sabarmati river.
Sultan Ahmed Shah in 1411 A.D. had laid the foundation of a new walled city near Karnavati and named it Ahmedabad after the four saints in the area by the name Ahmed.
"We can think of changing the name at an appropriate time," Patel added.
Slamming the BJP government over the issue, state unit Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said the promise to rename Ahmedabad was just another "poll gimmick" by the ruling party.
"For the BJP, issues like construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya and renaming Ahmedabad as Karnavati are the means to get votes of Hindus," said Doshi.
"BJP leaders dump such issues after coming to power. They only cheated Hindus all these years," he added.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the eve of Diwali announced that Faizabad district would henceforth be known as Ayodhya.
"Ayodhya is a symbol of our 'aan, baan aur shaan' (honour, pride and prestige)," Adityanath said in Ayodhya.
The BJP government in the northern state had already renamed Allahabad as Prayagraj.
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Public can obtain e-pass online to watch Independence Day celebrations in Bengaluru: BBMP
Bengaluru, Aug 13 (PTI): For the first time, the general public can obtain e-pass online to watch the 79th Independence Day celebrations, said Maheshwara Rao, Chief Commissioner, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Wednesday.
Rao, along with the Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru, Seemanth Kumar Singh, was briefing the media here about how Bengaluru is preparing for the state-level ceremony to be held on August 15 at Field Marshal Manik Shah Parade Ground, Cubbon Road, Bengaluru.
“Earlier invitations were distributed by government officials to special invitees and to those involved in the ceremony. Now, people can obtain an e-pass from the Seva Sindhu website (www.sevasindhu.karnataka.gov.in),” added the commissioner.
He said a live telecast of the programme is also available on Doordarshan.
According to him, the viewing gallery for the public at the venue has been expanded to allow more people to watch the programme in person.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will hoist the Indian flag, following which he will inspect the parade in an open jeep and receive the guard of honour.
Siddaramaiah will also deliver an Independence Day message.
On ground security checks are already underway, said the Police Commissioner.
“Police have been deployed on guard duty at the ground for the last 15 days. They are also checking all the hotels, lodges and rest houses for any suspicious activities,” said Singh.
CCTV cameras and baggage scanners, Door Frame Metal Detector and Hand-Held Metal Detector have been installed around the ground to closely monitor all the events, he added.
He also appealed to those with green passes (e-passes) to arrive at Gate no. 05 from the Manipal Centre side via Cubbon Road.
He urged people not to carry any unnecessary luggage or items with them. Even essential items like mobile phones, water bottles, helmets, cameras, radios and umbrellas are best left behind to facilitate quick entry into the venue, he added.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru Traffic Police has appealed to the public to use public transport and metro service as much as possible, due to the lack of space for parking vehicles at Manik Shah Parade Ground and nearby areas.
Parking will not be allowed at Central Street (from Anil Kumble Circle to Shivajinagar Bus Stand), Cubbon Road (from CTO Circle to K R Road and Cubbon Road Junction) and MG Road, from Anil Kumble Circle to Trinity Circle), added a Traffic Police advisory issued on Wednesday.
