Santiniketan: Two state-run tourist lodges have been asked to revert to "Government of West Bengal" from "Government of Bengal" on their signboards after some "enthusiastic" officials apparently jumped the gun on a proposal to change the state's name.

The instructions to the Santiniketan Tourist Lodge and the Behrampore Tourist Lodge - run by the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation - came after the government faced embarrassment when some tourists brought the matter to the attention of top officials, asking whether the name of the state had already been changed.

"There was a move to change the name of the state from West Bengal to Bangla. The proposal has been sent to Delhi but we are yet to get the permission. So, all government properties (at present) belong to the "Government of West Bengal". It appears some enthusiastic officials changed the name on their own," said a senior official.

Sources said the old boards - which mentioned the "Government of West Bengal" - at the lodges were replaced with the new ones in mid-2017.

Around the time the new boards sprang up at the two lodges, the state had sent the name-change proposal. "It is interesting to see that the enthusiastic officials did not mention 'Government of Bangla' and translated it to 'Bengal'," said another official.