# After years of local opposition, BMC moves to scrap plan naming a Govandi park after Tipu Sultan

> A 2021 proposal to name a civic garden in Govandi's Shivaji Nagar after Tipu Sultan is set to be formally withdrawn by the BMC following sustained opposition from residents and local groups.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Maharashtra · **Published:** 2026-09-07 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/maharashtra/govndi-ke-parka-ko-tipu-sultan-ka-nama-dene-ki-yojana-thndi-baste-men-bmc-vapasa-legi-purana-prastava-28879 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Tipu Sultan, BMC, Govandi, Mumbai, Market and Garden Committee, Rukhsana Siddiqui, park naming row

A municipal garden tucked inside the Shivaji Nagar locality of Govandi in Mumbai is back in the spotlight for an unusual reason. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, or BMC, has recommended formally scrapping an old plan to name the garden after Tipu Sultan, citing persistent objections from local residents and certain organisations. The matter will now go before the BMC's Market and Garden Committee, which will decide whether the proposal to call the space Tipu Sultan Udyan should be dropped for good.

## How the dispute began
The story goes back to January 2021, when then Samajwadi Party corporator Rukhsana Siddiqui first proposed naming the newly developed garden after Tipu Sultan. The idea stalled almost immediately. At a Market and Garden Committee meeting held that July, officials pointed out that civil construction work on the park was still incomplete, and the naming decision was put on hold.

## Construction finished, but the fight didn't
According to the BMC administration, the park's construction was fully completed by February 2022. Under normal circumstances, that should have cleared the way for a naming decision, but it didn't work out that way. Objections from local residents and various organisations continued for months afterward. Under that sustained pressure, the administration's latest recommendation now states plainly that naming the garden Tipu Sultan Udyan would not be appropriate given how long and consistent the local opposition has been.

## Siddiqui pushes back
Former corporator Rukhsana Siddiqui has strongly criticised the administration's move. She said, "Tipu Sultan fought against the British, and his history has been taught in Maharashtra's schools for years." She alleged that the episode looks like an attempt to rewrite history along religious lines. Market and Garden Committee chairperson Hetal Gala, on the other hand, described it as an old, pending proposal, noting that the administration has now formally placed its recommendation before the committee, leaving the final call to an upcoming meeting.

## An old political fault line resurfaces
The row over this single garden in Govandi has, once again, brought a familiar political fault line in Mumbai back into focus, the naming of public spaces. Decisions tangled up with religious and historical sentiment tend to be politically tricky for civic administrations, and this case has turned into the latest example of exactly that.

## What this means for you
This dispute will not hit your wallet, but it shows how sustained local opposition can force a civic body to reverse a years-old administrative decision.

- **Across India:** The case could become a reference point for how municipal bodies handle naming disputes tied to historical or religious figures elsewhere. If local pressure can unwind a five-year-old proposal in Mumbai, other cities with similar pending naming plans may see faster reviews too.
- **In Mumbai and Govandi:** Residents of Shivaji Nagar will soon get clarity on what their garden will actually be called once the Market and Garden Committee takes up the recommendation. The decision is also likely to keep local political tension simmering, with figures like Rukhsana Siddiqui openly opposing the withdrawal.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. Which park is at the centre of this dispute?
A municipal garden in the Shivaji Nagar locality of Govandi in Mumbai, which was proposed to be named Tipu Sultan Udyan.

### 2. When was the naming proposal first made?
In January 2021, by then Samajwadi Party corporator Rukhsana Siddiqui.

### 3. Why was the decision deferred the first time?
At a July 2021 meeting, the naming decision was postponed because the park's civil construction was still incomplete.

### 4. When was the park's construction completed?
According to the BMC, the park's development work was fully completed in February 2022.

### 5. What is the BMC doing now?
Citing persistent local opposition, the BMC has recommended formally withdrawing the naming proposal, leaving the final decision to the Market and Garden Committee.

### 6. What did Rukhsana Siddiqui say about the move?
She said Tipu Sultan fought against the British and his history has been taught in Maharashtra's schools for years, and alleged an attempt to rewrite history along religious lines.

### 7. What did committee chairperson Hetal Gala say?
She said it is an old proposal and that the administration has now formally placed its recommendation before the committee.

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