India has formally identified 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh by their standard names on the official Survey of India map, in a move aimed at ensuring their accurate identification and strengthening public awareness of the state’s geographical features. The decision followed consultations between the Centre and the Arunachal Pradesh government. According to an official statement issued on Friday, the exercise is intended to standardise the names of the locations for administrative, cartographic and public reference purposes. “Identifying them formally on the Survey of India map of Arunachal Pradesh is aimed at facilitating their accurate recognition and better awareness among the public at large,” the statement said. The move comes against the backdrop of China’s repeated attempts to assign Chinese names to places in Arunachal Pradesh. India has consistently rejected the practice, maintaining that changing the names of locations cannot alter their status or the ground realities.
Among the places now formally marked on the Survey of India map is Long Ju, located along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The area was the site of an early India-China border confrontation in 1959 after Chinese forces entered the region. Maja village in Upper Subansiri district has also been included in the updated list. The new entries cover a range of geographical and historical features, including villages, land areas, mountain passes, a high-altitude lake and a war memorial. Several strategically important mountain passes have been included, among them Dzo La, Riza La and Pukur La. Thag La, which is associated with the opening phase of the 1962 India-China war, has also been formally identified on the official map.
Jairampur in Changlang district is another important location on the list. The town serves as a key logistics point for the movement of security forces towards eastern Arunachal Pradesh and areas close to the Myanmar border. The other locations identified include Sambho Sarovar, a high-altitude lake, along with Bara Kundun, Chhota Kundun, Dhan Bari, Pritnagar, Teritnagar, Ramnagar, Jaswant Garh, Sagar, Padma, Jyotinagar and Baisakhi.
