Patna, June 1: Chief minister Nitish Kumar today proposed that a modern city of international standards be developed with the name Patliputra to offset the problems Bihar?s present capital is facing.

A group of senior Patna residents, led by Jammu and Kashmir Governor S.K. Sinha, has for long demanded that the city be called Patliputra, one of the ancient names of the capital.

The government has responded to the demand by presenting its vision of ?Greater Patna?, which, for the first time today, was proposed to be called Patliputra.

?If Madras can become Chennai, Bombay Mumbai and Calcutta Kolkata, there is no reason why Patna cannot be called Patliputra. It will remind the world of our heritage as the place was not only the capital of the Magadh empire but also an important centre of Buddhism,? said R.R. Prasad, a retired university teacher.

?The creation of Patliputra, perhaps, will provide enough incentive to the original residents of Patna to improve the civic standards of the old city,? he added.

Patna?s present population of 17 lakh is projected to cross 40 lakh in 20 years. ?The city has grown in a haphazard way and now it needs wider roads and new flyovers. Patna is a unique city because precious underground water is being used for drinking water supply. We have plans to treat river water for drinking purposes,? Nitish said.

Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad pooh-poohed the government?s plans, calling Greater Patna a ?ploy to acquire the plots of peasants and hand them over at throwaway prices for multiplexes and apartments?. ?They want to set up the city in the diara (riverine) area but floods will wash away the buildings there,? he held.

But the chief minister was not ready to be bogged down. ?We are determined not only to execute an image changeover for the capital but also committed to the idea of Greater Patna. If a Bhuj-like earthquake hits Patna, it will kill more than 5 lakh people. From now on, all new buildings will have to be earthquake-resistant.?