State highway signboards to now display Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Ahilyanagar instead of Aurangabad, Ahmednagar
Mumbai – To preserve Maharashtra’s glorious history, the State government has officially renamed several cities, replacing their old names of foreign-origin. Accordingly, ‘Aurangabad’ was renamed Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, ‘Ahmednagar’ as Ahilyanagar, and ‘Osmanabad’ as Dharashiv, besides renaming ‘Islampur’ as Ishwarpur and ‘Velhe’ as Rajgad. However, despite these official changes, old names such as Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, and Osmanabad continue to appear prominently on highway direction signboards.
Demanding the immediate removal of these outdated names and their replacement with the officially approved ones, a delegation of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti met Maharashtra’s Public Works Minister, Shivendrasinhraje Bhosale, and submitted a memorandum. Taking serious note of the issue, the Minister directed that the names be changed without delay and assured the delegation that he would instruct the Secretary of the Public Works Department that very day to initiate the necessary action.
Administrative disrespect and dereliction of duty
Similar directions have also been issued by the Minister of State for Public Works, Indranil Naik. The State government has formally notified these name changes through a Government Resolution (GR) and the Official Gazette. Once a name is notified in the Gazette, it becomes legally binding on all government departments to use the revised name in official records and on public signboards.
Despite this, the continued display of obsolete names on highway signboards amounts to disregard for the government’s official decision. In its memorandum, the Samiti pointed out that, under the guidelines and operational procedures of the Public Works Department, failure to update direction boards not only misleads commuters but also constitutes a clear dereliction of duty by the officials responsible for implementing gazetted government orders.
Demand for an immediate circular
The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti has therefore urged the Public Works Department, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) to immediately issue a circular directing the removal of old signboards and the installation of signboards bearing the officially approved names across Maharashtra.
June 30, 2026
HJS demands immediate update to Ahilyanagar and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar highway signs
Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra – A considerable amount of time has passed since ‘Ahmednagar’ was renamed ‘Ahilyanagar’ and ‘Aurangabad’ was renamed ‘Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar’. Despite this, the old names are still displayed on direction and distance indicators across various national and state highways. This is creating confusion among commuters and reflects a lack of effective implementation of the government’s official decision.
In light of this, the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) has demanded that old signboards within city limits, as well as direction and distance indicators on all national and state highways leading to Ahilyanagar and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, be replaced immediately with boards bearing the new names.
A memorandum regarding this was submitted to Resident Deputy Collector Dadasaheb Geete. The memorandum warned that if the administration does not initiate action within the next seven days, an agitation will be launched. Upon accepting the memorandum, Geete assured them that positive action would be taken.
Present on the occasion were Rameshwar Bhukan of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, District Hindu Organiser Bapu Thange, devout Hindus Sanjay Joshi, Digambar Gentyal, Chaitanya Shekde, and representatives from various other devout Hindu organisations.
