Landour Cantt board plans to change name to Ramgir, sparks row

Mussoorie: Landour Cantonment authorities have proposed changing the name of the cantonment to “Ramgir”, triggering opposition from residents and historians who said Landour was not a colonial coinage and had a long local association with Mussoorie’s identity. The cantonment board published a newspaper notification seeking objections from residents within seven days, saying the proposal followed a Jan 26, 2026, letter from Director General Defence Estates (DGDE) under the defence ministry on “renaming of colonial era roads etc”.

The proposed change concerns Landour Cantonment, the main tourist and heritage zone that comes after the older Landour settlement and includes some of Mussoorie’s best-known spots, including areas around Char Dukan and Lal Tibba. The cantonment area has also long been associated with writers and artists, including author Ruskin Bond, who lives in th cantt area, making the proposed renaming more than a routine administrative change for many residents.

The notification said the name change had been approved by the board, but the move drew sharp criticism from residents, who argued that the authorities had misunderstood the origin and cultural value of the name. “Landour is named after Landaura, a town near Roorkee, from where settlers came and settled here. It is not a name coined by the British,” Ganesh Saili said.

Saili, an author, historian and resident of the cantonment, said Ramgir had no organic connection with Mussoorie or Landour. He added that even if a name change was considered necessary, it should have reflected the hill setting of the place, with names such as Parvatdarshni or Him Darshini, rather than one that residents found unfamiliar.

Some historians have also held that the cantonment derived its name from a village called Landour, which existed around the area where the cantonment was later established. Residents said this made the proposal even harder to justify, as the name had remained tied to local memory, geography and identity for generations.

Mahesh Chandra, former vice-president of Landour Cantonment, called the proposal needless and regressive. “I question the thought process behind this move, especially since Landour is famous not just in the country but around the globe,” he said. “Now, due to the change of name, every resident of Landour would have to get their address changed in documents, which would be expensive and cumbersome.”

TOI tried to contact Ankita Singh, chief executive officer of Landour Cantonment, but she could not be reached despite several attempts.
Get real-time updates and result insights on the UP Board Result 2026, UP Board 10th Result 2026 and UP Board 12th Result 2026