The names of three newly created unions in Bogura's Shibganj and Mokamtola upazilas have been changed following widespread criticism and public hearings, with the district administration approving new names for the local government units.
At a coordination meeting held at the Deputy Commissioner's office on Sunday, Bogura Deputy Commissioner Toufiqur Rahman announced that the proposals had been approved and would now be forwarded to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives for final approval. The new names will take effect after the government issues an official gazette notification.
Under the revised decision, Mirbari Union in Shibganj upazila will be renamed Betgari Union, while Simanta Union and Diganta Union in Mokamtola upazila will be renamed Jagannathpur Union and Rahbal Union, respectively.
"The district administration's coordination committee has approved the new names. The proposal will now be sent to the ministry, and the names will become official after gazette notification," the deputy commissioner said.
The controversy dates back to June 14, when the government issued a gazette creating four new unions in the two upazilas: Mirbari, Simanta, Diganta and Swarnagram.
The names drew widespread criticism as Mirbari is the name of the ancestral home of former State Minister for Local Government Mir Shah Alam, while Simanta and Diganta are identical to the names of his two sons. The issue sparked intense debate on social media and was later raised in Parliament by Jamaat-e-Islami MP Shafiqul Islam Masud.
Mir Shah Alam, however, dismissed the allegations, describing the similarities as "purely coincidental." He said the names had been selected based on geographical characteristics, administrative requirements and public consultations. According to him, one union was named Simanta because it is located along the border, while another was named Diganta due to its distant geographical location. He also argued that if the unions had indeed been named after his sons, the prefix "Mir" would have been included.
Following the controversy, local authorities arranged public hearings on June 23 and 25 to gather residents' opinions on renaming the three unions. The newly approved names are based on the recommendations that emerged from those consultations.
