It's official! Gurgaon will henceforth be called Gurugram

GURGAON: It's official. Gurgaon will henceforth be called Gurugram. According to chief minister ML Khattar, the Union government has accepted its proposal for the name change on Tuesday. "From now on, both the city and the district of Gurgaon will be known as Gurugram,“ he said, shortly after presiding over the first meeting of the state-level Swarna Jayanti (golden jubilee) celebrations committee in Panchkula.

The chief minister had announced the name change on April 12 this year. That the Centre would accord its approval within six months, has surprised many. "I wish the BJP government shows the same alacrity in changing the face of the city, by improving the crumbling infrastructure that is plaguing the city . As a person who was born here, I'll continue to call it Gurgaon," said Swaraj Abhiyan founder Yogendra Yadav, who contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Gurgaon.

Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh welcomed the move with caution. "While I welcome this decision, I want to add that a name alone will not suffice. There needs to be development as well," he said.

In February 2012, the MCG house had passed a resolution to change the name from Gurgaon to Gurugram. In fact, much before the resolution was passed by the house, former MCG commissioner Rajesh Khullar, who is now the personal secretary to CM Khattar, had proposed the name change in 2010.

According to sources, one of the reasons behind the promptness shown is because of the grand celebration planned to mark the 50th anniversary of the state, which will be held in Gurugram on November 1.

Prime Minister will be the chief guest at the occasion. The Khattar government is also keen to launch the Gurugram Development Authority (GDA) before November 1. "The CM is trying to speed up the process to ensure the city gets a new name officially before the year-long golden jubilee celebrations begin," said a senior district official.