Aurangpura renamed, but other ‘puras’ still testimony to Mughals

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Even if the famous old city area of Aurangpura from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has been renamed as Sambhaji Peth, the historic city still has many such "puras" (settlements or suburbs) that stand testimony to the Mughal imprint.As per some of the folklores, the city had 52 "puras" with many of them named after different Mughal nobles and associated culture with Aurangpura itself finding its name after Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.Mehmoodpura, Fazilpuria, Manzoorpura, Nawabpura, Jaisingpura, Jaswantpura and Hattisinghpura and Kagzipura are some of the puras that still exist in the geography of the city.The general body of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) on Monday passed a resolution for renaming Aurangpura."Many locals call Aurangpura as Sambhajipeth and therefore it is pertinent to rename the local city considering the sentiments of the public," he said.Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator and former mayor Abdul Rashid Khan was the only voice to oppose the move. "Naming lanes and localities after the social greats would only belittle such personalities. The city has already witnessed renaming and it was enough," he said.While BJP corporators sought an official stand of Sena (UBT) on the proposal to rename Aurangpura, party corporator Sachin Khaire said the party supports the move.A section of locals said the BJP should rise above the "agenda of renaming" and focus on core public issues."It was a joyous moment when Aurangabad was renamed as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The city has earned dubious distinction nationwide due to erratic water supply. Many key projects, including airport, metro service and smooth CNG supply, are still pending and call for political attention," Suhas Patil, a professional, said.