Rename 2 unions in Bogura: PM

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has ordered measures to change the names of two unions in Bogura that were named after the sons of State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam.
Bogura Deputy Commissioner Md Taufiqur Rahman told the media on Friday that the Prime Minister had verbally instructed him to begin the renaming process, although written instructions had yet to reach the district administration.
He said new public hearings would be held in the concerned unions and fresh dates would be announced as part of the process.
On 11 June, a notification signed by the deputy commissioner announced the reorganisation of the administrative structure of Shibganj and the newly formed Mokamtala upazila, creating four new unions.
The new union in Shibganj upazila was named Mirbari, while the three unions under Mokamtala upazila were named Simanta, Diganta and Swarnagram. Controversy emerged over the names Mirbari, Simanta and Diganta.
Critics alleged that Mirbari is the name of State Minister Mir Shahe Alam’s ancestral home, while Simanta and Diganta were named after his sons, Mir Shakrul Alam Simanta and Mir Saqlain Alam Diganta. 
The issue drew criticism on social media and in political circles, with questions raised over the naming process and public hearings. The matter was later discussed in parliament.
Responding to questions in parliament, Mir Shahe Alam said the names had been selected by the UNO and deputy commissioner following scrutiny and public hearings, taking local opinion into account.
Separately, the state minister requested the Ministry of Education not to approve naming any educational institution after him.
In a demi-official letter sent on 1 June to the secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, he said some individuals had been proposing educational institutions be named after him for personal interests, which he described as undesirable.
He said preserving the traditions, identity and distinctiveness of educational institutions was more appropriate than renaming them.
Mir Shahe Alam noted that he had supported educational expansion in the Shibganj-Mokamtala area through land donations, financial contributions and institutional patronage. Several institutions established or developed with his support since 1997 already bear his or his family’s names.
In the letter, he requested that no further proposals to name educational institutions after him or his family members be approved and stressed the importance of preserving the original identity of longstanding institutions.