History wiped out in BMC’s road-renaming game

This year itself, BMC has received 471 proposals till July 31 from the 23 wards in the city. Almost all these proposals will be passed, as there is hardly any scrutiny of the bio-data of personalities after whom roads and chowks are to be named.

Unwittingly or otherwise, a precious part of vintage Bombay and the history associated with the name of a street also continues to be wiped out, while potholes multiply.

Cultural Affairs Minister Pramod Navalkar is planning to write to BMC urging it to ban naam karan of roads. “It’s time we stop renaming streets and chowksat random. There is no logic or method in this madness as fresh names only confuse citizens, and most of the time new names have no relevance to the place where the name-boards are put,” said Navalkar, who is also chairperson of the Traffic Co-ordination Committee, comprising BMC officials and traffic police.

He added: “In 1950 the government had allowed the changing of names of streets named after Britishers; but the renaming bug continues till date. After no more English names could be found, people started targetting chowks, which ideally are cross-centres of four roads. When all chowks were exhausted, they started renaming street corners as chowks!”

Though it is not yet official to give a name to a footpath, one such unique kerb does exist at Marine Drive, now Netaji Subhash Chandra Marg. “I was shocked to find the pavement opposite Wilson College named as `Khote Footpath’! In spite of making inquiries with BMC, it is not yet known who put up that name-board. That’s the craze some people have forinstant immortality,” remarked Navalkar.

After the recent outrage of residents of `C’ Road, Churchgate, which was renamed as PM Shukla `Nirjhar’ Marg, better sense seems to have prevailed in BMC over what could have been yet another controversial renaming. The BMC has rejected a proposal to rename Nagar Chowk (earlier called Boribunder) as Lata Mangeshkar Chowk, on the ground that the famous singer is a `living person.’

The proposal was floated a year ago by the Congress corporator Kisan Jadhav. However, when contacted at her residence on Wednesday, Lata Mangeshkar’s nephew Yogesh said: “I have already asked Lataji and she is not even aware of such a proposal to rename Boribunder after her.”

While such sensible acts are rare in BMC, historian Sharada Dwivedi recalled some major blunders associated with road renaming in the past. “In the 300-year-old history of Bombay, which itself has been renamed Mumbai, the least we can do is preserve some of the old-world history associated with street names,”she remarked.

For example, a few years ago some of the wiser citizens had decided to rename the famous Laburnum Road near Gamdevi, under the impression that it was named after some Englishman. “Only at the eleventh hour the BMC came to know the road was named after the Laburnum tree that used to grow in that area, and a big bloomer was averted,” said Dwivedi.

However, Ropewalk Lane in Fort was not so lucky. “In the olden days ropes used to be supplied from Fort to various ships at the docks; in fact, the rope-makers used to actually stretch the jute fibres across this lane that therefore got to be called Ropewalk Lane. It’s a pity even this piece of history has been erased, and the street is now called Sai Baba Lane,” she said, adding, “at this rate BMC will soon have to allow people to put name-boards on street lamps!”

Even the original architect of old Bombay, George Wittet, has not been spared by the naam karan bug. “Agreed, Wittet was a Britisher, but he had designed the Gateway of India, thePrince of Wales Museum, the Indian Institute of Science and Ballard Estate. But Wittet Street in Fort has been renamed as Walchand Hirachand Marg,” said Dwivedi.

Thanks to public uproar, Malabar Hill was not changed to Ram Nagri and Bora Bazaar Road in Fort was not renamed after a Jain spiritual leader due to the intervention of the Bohra community residing there. But Pydhonie Road in `C’ ward has been renamed as Ibrahim Mohammed Merchant Road.

`Pydhonie’ means `washing of feet,’ and it was thus named because there was a natural creek in the area which pedestrians utilised to wash their hands and feet. “I have always maintained it is easy to rename a road after anyone, provided you have money to pay under the table. BMC must stop haphazard renaming,” said leader of Samajwadi Party in BMC, Yusuf Abrahani.

Though municipal commissioner K Nalinakshan was not available for comment, a senior civic official said: “As new colonies and complexes spring up, new names have to be given to the lanes. However,as per the BMC Resolution 1330 of 1993, we are empowered to change old road names given by the British, but we cannot alter roads named after Indian personalities.”

Five easy steps to immortality

Step 1: Contact the local corporator with details of which road or chowk you wish to rename after an Indian personality, preferably dead.

Step 2: The corporator forwards the proposal to the BMC Works Committee. Normally there are no objections, unless the personality happens to be a slain gangster.

Step 3: The proposal is put to vote in the ward-level meeting attended by the ward officer and local corporators.

Step 4: Finally it lands in the Traffic Co-ordination department for final scrutiny and approval.

Step 5: Proposal passed in BMC general body meeting. Bingo! the road is yours.