Proposal to Rename Lansdowne as 'Kalo ka danda' | 27 Oct 2022

Why in News?

• Recently, the 132-year-old Lansdowne Cantonment in Uttarakhand's Pauri district has sent a proposal to the Ministry of Defense to name Lansdowne as ' Kalo ka danda /Kalaun Ka Danda (mountain surrounded by dark clouds)'.

Key Points

• The Army Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence has sought proposals from sub-area Uttarakhand to change the names of roads, schools, institutions, cities and suburbs of cantonment areas during the British era.
• The Defence Ministry has also asked them to suggest what names can be placed in place of british-era names. Under this, Lansdowne Cantonment has sent a proposal to name it 'Kalo Ka Danda'. Earlier it was called 'Kalaun Ka Danda'. The locals have been demanding its name for years. Several letters have also been sent to the Defence Ministry in this regard.
• The Garhwal Regiment was established in 1886. On May 5, 1887, the platoon of the first Garhwal Regiment formed in Almora under the leadership of author Colonel Merwing reached Lansdowne on November 4, 1887. At that time Lansdowne was called 'Kalo Ka Danda'. On September 21, 1890, it was named Lansdowne after the then Viceroy Lord Lansdowne.