Azimabad revival in new civic circle

Patna: The state cabinet on Tuesday approved the formation of two new circles under Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC).

Principal secretary, cabinet secretariat, Arun Kumar Singh said the cabinet gave its nod to the proposal of the urban development department to bifurcate New Capital and Patna City circles under the PMC to constitute two new ones, which will be called Patliputra and Azimabad, respectively.

Patna was renamed Azimabad in 1704 by Prince Azim-us-Shan, a grandson of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who was appointed the subehdar (viceroy) of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. The new name eventually fell out of use and the city was back to being called Patna, as known in the medieval era since the reign of Sher Shah Suri.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad, while serving as the railway minister in 2007, had urged the Nitish Kumar government in 2007 to rename Patna as Azimabad. The move was then seen as populist, aimed at appeasing Muslims.

Sources in the PMC said the move to create two new circles was taken to ensure better administration and municipal facilities in areas that would come under them after their demarcation.

Courtesy: The Telegraph