Delhi’s Rajpath to be called ‘Kartavya Path’ now; NDMC passes proposal

NDMC passed the resolution to rename Rajpath as Kartavya Path unanimously as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member also supported the move

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Wednesday passed the resolution to rename Rajpath as ‘Kartavya Path’.

Lok Sabha MP and NDMC member Meenakshi Lekhi said the proposal to rename Rajpath as Kartavya Path was passed in a special meeting of the NDMC Council. (Sourced)

The resolution has been passed unanimously as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member has also supported the move. The process to change the signages will be completed by tonight

Lok Sabha MP and NDMC member Meenakshi Lekhi said the proposal was approved in a special meeting of the NDMC Council.

“We have approved the proposal to rename Rajpath as Kartavya Path in the special Council meeting today,” Lekhi said.

NDMC vice chairman Satish Upadhyay said the proposal was received from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

He said now the entire stretch and the area from the Netaji statue at India Gate to the Rashtrapati Bhavan will be known as ‘Kartavya Path’.

It was reported on Monday that the Union government plans to rename Rajpath and the pathway through the India Gate lawns as Kartavya Path, ahead of the inauguration of the revamped Central Vista Avenue by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The road and the area from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose statue at India Gate C-Hexagon to the Rashtrapati Bhavan will be known as Kartavya Path, two officials of the ministry of housing and urban affairs said. Prime Minister Modi will unveil the statue and inaugurate the redeveloped Central Vista Avenue on September 8.

Rajpath was known as Kingsway during British Rule. The pathway was created as a ceremonial boulevard and was designed on the lines of Kingsway in London. The key avenue hosts major state functions such as the Republic Day Parade and the Beating Retreat ceremony.

Swapna Liddle, historian and author of Connaught Place And The Making of New Delhi, said Kingsway was renamed as Rajpath, its Hindi translation, after Independence. She said one of the earliest maps that mentioned Rajpath date back to 1959. “When King George V came to the city during the Delhi Durbar of 1911, he announced the shifting of the Capital from Calcutta to Delhi. In 1912, the Capital shifted, and New Delhi was built. It was finally inaugurated in 1931. The Central Vista of New Delhi was known as Kingsway. Later, at some point after Independence, it was named Rajpath,” Liddle said.

In his Independence Day speech this year, Prime Minister Modi laid emphasis on the abolition of symbols that reflect the colonial mindset.

With inputs from PTI.