Atal Chowk: Lucknow's iconic Hazratganj Chauraha renamed after former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee

The iconic Lucknow’s Hazratganj Chauraha (crossing) was renamed as Atal Chowk to mark the first death anniversary of former prime minister and BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The executive committee of Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) had cleared the proposal to rename the intersection last year.

"A number of councilors were demanding different roads and round-abouts be named after Atal Bihari Vajpayee. However, we were looking for something grand enough to fit the stature of the former Prime Minister. Hence it has been decided that most prominent and biggest intersection of Lucknow, which is also referred as the heart of the city- ‘Hazratganj Chaurha' will be named after Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee," Mayor Sanyukta Bhatia was quoted as saying by ANI.

Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that the state government will set up residential schools named after Vajpayee in all 18 divisions and a memorial in Bateshwar, the former prime minister's native village in Agra.

Announcing a number of projects named after the former prime minister, the CM said residential schools will be set up in all 18 divisions, besides a 25-foot-tall statue at the Lok Bhawan on Vajpayee's birth anniversary on December 25.

Adityanath said the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow has been named after Vajpayee. The work to set up a medical university in Lucknow is underway and a satellite centre of KGMU is being set up in Balrampur, from where Vajpayee had contested elections in 1957.

Last year, several state governments, municipal corporations and leaders announced the renaming of several sites in their areas of power to pay a tribute to the late politician.

Jharkhand, which was carved out of Bihar in November 2000 when Vajpayee was the prime minister, announced that it would rename 7 places after Vajpayee in the state.