A report in this paper stated that Surendra Sunkershet, a descendent of Nana, welcomed the decision, but said that no one had conveyed this to their family officially yet
Union railway minister Piyush Goyal has assured local MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha that he will consider a proposal to rename Mumbai Central station after Indian Railway pioneer Jagannath Sunkershet (popularly called Nana), if it comes to him from the Maharashtra government.
A report in this paper stated that Surendra Sunkershet, a descendent of Nana, welcomed the decision, but said that no one had conveyed this to their family officially yet. Jagannath Sunkershet, popularly known as Nana, was one of the two Indian founders of the railways in the country. His face can be seen on the facade of the iconic world heritage site of Mumbai CSMT. The Sunkershet family visits it every year in July to observe his death anniversary. Nana's supporters wanted to get Mumbai Central named after him, as his bungalow was in Girgaum, close to this station.
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While history shows us that Sunkershet did play a massive role in bulk transportation movement and had a vision that was way ahead of his time, we hope all naming and renaming proposals are looked at in the proper perspective. While his family's sentiments need to be respected, if the proposal does not come through, it should not result in violent protests or vandalism. The common man should not pay the price, as they too often do, in political spats.
Renaming must come second to providing amenities and upgrading our stations. Water, toilets, smooth platforms and clear announcements that can be heard above the station's din and trains that run on time — these things must take priority.
We see naming battles for other city infra too, be it bridges or gardens. Our elected representatives, who waste too much time bickering over non-issues, ought to address real issues and work for the people.
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