Remove names of British colonialists, loyalists from cantonment roads, suggests Rajnath Singh

Consider renaming all these roads and buildings after brave Indian soldiers and creators of modern India, Rajnath suggested. 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday suggested the Directorate General Defence Estates to rename the roads and buildings in the cantonment areas after the brave soldiers and those who played a crucial in the construction of modern India. While speaking at the DGDE event in the national capital, Rajnath maintained that British officers or soldiers who did commendable work for people's betterment ought to be recognised respectfully and introduced to future generations. 

Lamenting that even after 75 years of independence, there are some roads and buildings in the cantonment areas which have been named after the loyalists of the British colonialists, their officers and soldiers, Rajnath suggested the Ministry of Defence and the DGDE to consider renaming all these roads and buildings after brave Indian soldiers and creators of modern India. 

He also asked the DGDE personnel to not only cater to the security needs of the armed forces but also keep in mind the legitimate interests of civilians residing in cantonment areas. The defence minister further called for a balanced approach while dealing with the civilian population living in the cantonment areas. He said the Narendra Modi government was ready to bring a policy reform in this regard.

On the occasion, he awarded the Cantonment Boards for innovation and digital achievements in the fields of health, education and sanitation along with public service and land management. He also launched a Geographic Information System-based automated water supply pipeline system under e-Chhawani, which will completely do away with the need of manual intervention for sanctioning water connections.