The Delhi government is in a dilemma there are too many dignitaries in line to have roads named after them,but the city does not have enough roads,lanes and crossings to accommodate them all. To tide over the problem,the government has decided to name roads only after very important dignitaries,while other applicants can have a tree in Millennium Park after their name. The government has written to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) seeking permission to name trees at the park. Even as the government is working on this proposal,an application sent out by Adarsh Nagar MLA Mangat Ram Singhal is doing the rounds of government offices. Singhal has requested that Ashram Chowk be renamed as Jai Ram Ashram Chowk. Every year the Delhi government gets between 200 and 300 applications to rename roads,from within the city and also from other states. In the last meeting of the State Naming Authority,the nodal agency,there were 53 items on the agenda. The list was prepared after stringent screening by the Urban Development department,and many of the requests are for dignitaries of other states. For instance,one of the requests cleared by the authority was to name a road after Saint Srimanta Shankara Deva of Assam. Almost all roads,lanes,bylanes already bear the name of some dignitary or the other. It is no longer possible to accommodate so many names. So we have written to the DDA for naming of trees in Millennium Park. The DDA will send us the list of the trees and their species to us, said a senior official. Former minister Singhal,meanwhile,is eagerly following his request. Initially,his application was approved by the Chief Minister in a handwritten note,however,she later told the department to keep the matter for the next meeting of the State Naming Authority. The Ashram Chowk so named because Guru Jai Rams Ashram is in the area. We want that instead of merely calling it Ashram Chowk,the entire name of guruji should be used. He deserves the honour, said Singhal. Jai Ram Ashram has branches in Roorkee and Haridwar,too. The most recent notification is for naming the road from A-90 to B-36 Nizamuddin (East) after painter B C Sanyal. This road is next to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshits sisters residence.
