Cash-Strapped Municipal Corporations of Delhi on Renaming Spree

Delhi’s municipal corporations have cleared more than 400 projects for renaming this year.

Delhi suffers as municipal corporations in Delhi shift focus on renaming old projects. (Photo: IANS)

Civic bodies of Delhi, which have been shying away from starting new development activities as a result of being severely cash strapped, have now taken to “surrogate campaigning” in order to win voters ahead of the upcoming polls, reports The Hindustan Times.

The corporations have started to rename old projects, giving local leaders a chance to interact with the voters and highlight the different initiatives undertaken in the past for the development of the renamed place.

The municipal corporations, which cleared close to 70-odd projects last year, and its naming committee, which usually meets twice a year, has already met over four times in the last six months, and cleared more than 400 projects for renaming.

Many parks in Delhi have had their names changed. A park in sector 16, Rohini, for example, has been named ‘Swami Dayanand Saraswati Vatika’ after Arya Samaj founder Swami Dayanand Saraswati. Similarly, Ramleela Park in Peera Garhi will now be known as ‘Bhagwan Parshuram Ramleela Park’.

Senior leaders from municipal corporations, however, downplayed the events. Speaking to The Hindustan Times, they said that renaming of public places is an annual affair.

Taking the opportunity to lay the blame at the AAP government’s door, they said that the Delhi government was at fault for the financial crisis being faced by the municipal corporations.

The Delhi government owes us more than Rs. 3,000 crore in arrears and if there are no development projects, then the Arvind Kejriwal government is to be blamed for it. The naming of parks and roads is, however, an annual affair.

Ashish Sood, senior BJP leader and South Delhi Municipal Councillor