What's In A Name? The Process of Renaming Delhi Roads | Explained
The process of renaming Delhi roads explained. This article shows who has authority to rename roads and what is the process through which roads can be renamed..
Images Of Central Vista (Kartavya Path) in Delhi earlier known as Rajpath.
EXPLAINED: The stretch of road from India Gate to Rashtrapati Bhawan that we have so far known as 'Rajpath' has now been renamed as 'Kartavya Path' by the present government and the revamped area around it, the Central Vista Avenue is all set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) convened a special meeting on Wednesday to complete the necessary procedures to rename Rajpath as well as the Central Vista lawns. The trend of renaming roads has gained momentum recently with many roads in the country being given fresh names. Earlier roads like Race Course, Aurangzeb road were renamed to Lok Kalyan Marg, APJ Abdul Kalam Road, respectively. The trend gets popular at frequent points of time. Lately, there were demands of changing several road names such as Akbar road, Babur road, Tughlaq road, Shahjahan road, etc. However, there is a due process through which roads are renamed.
WHO HAS AUTHORITY TO RENAME ROADS?
The authority to rename roads lies with the government agency that has jurisdiction over a particular area. Various organisations and groups of people in favour of renaming roads can reach out to the concerned government agency. In the case of Delhi, the NDMC has the power to make decisions on road renaming requests. The New Delhi Municipal Council Act, 1994 gives the authority to NDMC to name, rename and number the streets of the city.
WHAT IS THE RENAMING PROCEDURE?
With Delhi, the requests received are redirected to the general administration department of the NDMC. A council members' body with 13 people overseen by the council chairperson then discusses the proposal and takes a decision.
If the proposed resolution is passed, it is then sent to the State Road Naming Authority of the Delhi government's Urban Development Department for approval. If a decree is passed to change the road name, the NDMC sends a letter to the postmaster general of Delhi indicating that the name change has been accepted.
CRITERIA FOR ACCEPTANCE OR REJECTION?
The criteria to consider renaming requests are based on guidelines from the Ministry of Home Affairs. Such requests should have historical context and respect the sentiments of the people. The council should also be of the opinion that there is a need to recognise the personality whose name is to be given to the street in question.
One crucial matter that should be considered is that the new name should not create confusion for post offices and the public. The NDMC guidelines also state that the names of roads should not be changed unless there are pressing reasons to do so.
The names of streets and roads are so etched in our memories that diverting from them choosing a different name erases the history of the building.
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