The Aurangzeb Lane in Lutyens’ Delhi was renamed after former President APJ Abdul Kalam on Thursday, PTI reported.
The name change was approved by the New Delhi Municipal Council, or NDMC, on June 28.
The lane connects the Abdul Kalam Road with Prithvi Raj Road in central Delhi. In 2015, the name of Aurangzeb Road was changed to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road.
“The main road adjoining the lane was called Aurangzeb Road earlier but was renamed to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road many years ago,” NDMC vice chairman Satish Upadhyay said, according to The Indian Express. “There is a lane next to the road which is still named after Aurangzeb but NDMC has now decided to rename it.”
The Bharatiya Janata Party leader added that the decision had been taken after keeping in mind the sentiments of people and the “need to recognise and honour great men and women of our times,” according to PTI.
Last year in May, the Delhi unit of the BJP had urged the NDMC to rename five roads that bear the “symbol of slavery of the Mughal era”. The roads included Tughlaq Road, Akbar Road, Aurangzeb Lane, Humayun Road, Shahjahan Road and Babar Lane.
The BJP had suggested that the roads should be named after Sikh preacher Guru Gobind Singh, Hindu ruler Maharana Pratap, former President APJ Abdul Kalam, Sanskrit poet Valmiki, former Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and freedom fighter Khudiram Bose.
The New Delhi Municipal Council, which is in charge of the civic amenities in central Delhi, has the power to rename roads in the area. Rules of the civic body say that the renaming exercise should take into account history, sentiment and whether a personality needs to be acknowledged in that manner. However, the rules also state that renaming should be an exception.
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