Rajpath may now be called Kartavya Path

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

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

(ANI)

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has called a special meeting on September 7, and the proposal to name the iconic stretch Kartavya Path will be placed before it. “The proposal is yet to come but the meeting is being called to discuss the change in name. All members and officials concerned will participate in the meeting,” said NDMC vice-chairman and former Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Satish Upadhyay.

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.

The move is a message to the “ruling class that the era of rulers and subjects is over”, said an NDMC member, asking not to be named. “In the run-up to 2047 (100 years of Independence), the PM has also stressed on the importance of duties. Both these factors can be seen behind the naming of Kartavya Path,” the NDMC official added.

“We are convening a special meeting to discuss the renaming of the Central Vista Avenue and Rajpath stretch as Kartavya Path on Wednesday. I am expected to receive the meeting notice by tonight or early tomorrow morning,” Upadhyay said. NDMC chairman BS Bhalla did not comment on the matter.

Another NDMC official said that those working in the secretariat of the council were asked to operate till late on Monday to prepare for the special meeting. “The road starting from India Gate right up to Central Secretariat is expected to be renamed from existing Rajpath to Kartavya Path,” the official said, asking not to be named.

As per Section 231 of the New Delhi Municipal Council Act, the chairperson can “with the sanction of the council, determine the name or number by which any street or public place vested with the council shall be known”.

“For a road to be renamed based on the recommendation from the central government, the council can put up a proposal on short notice and vote on the matter. In the past, several roads have been named based on recommendations from the home ministry, ministry of external affairs and cultural ministry. MEA recommendations are based on treaties or diplomatic exchanges with other countries according to which we rename roads based on each other’s key personalities,” the second NDMC official said.

Race Course Road, where the Prime Minister’s residence is located, was renamed Lok Kalyan Marg based on inputs received from the central government on September 16, 2016. A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting of NDMC presided over by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. The council meetings are generally presided over by the chief minister, who is also the MLA from New Delhi, Member of Parliament and Union minister of state for external affairs Meenakshi Lekhi, and chairperson Bhalla. “Even if voting is undertaken, the BJP members and central government’s bureaucrats have a clear majority in council,” the second NDMC official said.

Some of the recent name changes that sparked debates in the New Delhi area include the renaming of Aurangzeb Road to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road in August 2015. In February 2017, the council announced the name change of Dalhousie Road as Dara Shikoh Road. Also, Teen Murti Chowk was changed to Teen Murti Haifa Chowk in 2018.

In May, Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta wrote to NDMC to rename six roads named after Mughal rulers in the Lutyens’ Delhi area, including Akbar Road and Tughlaq Road, saying that these are “symbols of slavery”.

The redevelopment project of the Central Vista also envisages a new triangular Parliament building, a common central secretariat, a new residence of the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister’s Office, and a new Vice President’s enclave.

The revamped Central Vista Avenue along the Rajpath will have state-wise food stalls, red granite walkways with greenery all around, vending zones, parking lots and round-the-clock security.