The Indian Express 26.03.2013
South corporation reply to naming requests: Who were Ambedkar, Sukhdev, Rajguru?
A councillor of the South Municipal Corporation, who had sought permission to name two parks in his area after "Shaheed Sukhdev" and "Shaheed Rajguru", was left stumped by the reply of the civic agency. For the query raised by the corporation was one that Chitaranjan Park councillor Virender Kasana had never thought would come his way.
The South corporation has asked Kasana to provide the biography and details of who Sukhdev and Rajguru were.
And Kasana is not alone in wondering if the corporation was serious in it query.
Councillor of Vikaspuri-East Amrita Dhawan got a similar reply when she sent out a proposal to name a road after Dalit leader B R Ambedkar.
Raising this issue in the House, Kasana and Dhawan called it outrageous on the part of the corporation to demand details on these "great personalities".
"There can be no greater shame on our part and insult to these patriots who sacrificed their lives for the freedom that we enjoy today. How can the corporation send our requests back just because they do not know who these people are? I wanted to name two parks in Gangotri Apartments in Alaknanda. There have been cases where roads and streets have been named after people not known outside their area," Kasana said.
Dhawan, on her part, is trying to figure out why would the corporation seek a biography of Dr Ambedkar.
"I wrote a proper proposal asking for permission to name a road after Dr B R Ambedkar, but I was sent a letter from the Municipal Secretary Office asking me to give details on who Ambedkar is. I cannot believe the reply. I want to ask in House whether a personality like Ambedkar needs to be briefed about," Dhawan said.
While the Opposition and the ruling party agreed that the corporation should not have sent out such a reply, Municipal Secretary O P Taneja said the queries were part of the process that is followed in case of a naming request.
"We do not need a proposal. There is a performa and we need a preamble to approve the request. We need to know details about who these people," Taneja said.
