Have you ever wished that you could name a street in your area after a popular relative of yours? Well, your chance could be now.
All it takes is convincing a few people and submitting a proposal to the BBMP revenue department!
When City Express spoke to I Ramakanth, deputy commissioner (revenue), BBMP, he at first said that the person should be a well known personality or popular in the locality, but later admitted that roads, parks and junctions could indeed be named after anybody.
"It could be your grandfather, who has perhaps contributed to the community in some way or the other. Just so long as you convince enough people, it would work," he said.
All the same, Ramakanth maintained that there are procedures that have to be followed. "Once we (BBMP) receive the application, we send it to the council. Then it's sent to the town planning commission and back to the council again. Meanwhile, we also have to check with a corporator and get his/her consent, call for objections by announcing it in two news dailies - one English and one Kannada," he said.
While these are 'just formalities', according to Ramakanth, what is essential is conducting a spot mahajar, a survey involving about 10 or 11 people who live in the locality. "If the numbers of those who are for and against the naming are close, we ask a few more. The whole process should ideally take about three months," he added. He also said that the death of a well known personality is generally followed by a new application.
In 2011, a park in Jayanagar 4th 'T' block was named after late veteran Kannada actor Vishnuvardhan. "After he passed away, Bharathi Vishnuvardhan submitted a letter asking that the park be named after him as the park is opposite their residence and he used to walk there," said C K Ramanurthy, councillor of the ward (Pattabhirama Nagar). He further added that most parks and roads are now being named. "It helps people relate to the area and also allows us to pay tribute to those whom we respect." However, Abdul Rakeeb Zakir, councillor of Pulakeshi Nagar (Ward 78) feels that naming public spaces should be undertaken judiciously. "The important thing is that the name should be relevant. Though this ward was renamed about 15 years ago, people still call it Frazer Town.
Pulakeshi was a poet but people don't know him," Zakir told City Express. He also added that Coles Park too, which was renamed about six years ago to Freedom Fighter's Park, is better known by its former name. "There are many nameless roads in the ward yet, but I wouldn't want to change them," he said.
Some roads/parks that have been named over the last three years:
Yeshwanthpur Flyover - Pundit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Flyover
Playground in Malleswaram - Col Vasanth Playground
Savarkar Nagar Railway Parallel Road - Veer Savarkar Road
Kumaraswamy Layout, 7th Cross - Mukkaneshwara Swamy Temple Road
Malleswaram 8th Main, 15th Cross Junction - Chitrapur Circle