Dehradun: The Lansdowne Cantonment Board has passed a proposal to change the name of the hill town to Jaswantgarh, after 1962 Sino-Indian war hero Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat.
The proposal is being sent to the Army's central command in Lucknow and will be forwarded to MoD, said office superintendent of Lansdowne Cantonment Board, Binita Jakhmola.
Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat, attached to the Garhwal Rifles, was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra posthumously for his valour during the battle in Arunachal Pradesh.
The decision to rename Lansdowne as Jaswantgarh after him was taken at a meeting of the Lansdowne Cantonment Board that was chaired by Brigadier Vijay Mohan Choudhary.
Office superintendent of Lansdowne Cantonment Board, Binita Jakhmola said it was in accordance with the decision of the Ministry of Defence to change the British-era names of cantonment boards and related places.
However according to some sources, the locals of Lansdowne are against changing the name of the hill town and are in favour of keeping the present one. (with Agency inputs)
