The New Delhi Municipal Council on Monday passed a proposal to change the name of Dalhousie Road to Dara Shikoh Road, after the eldest son of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
New Delhi MP and NDMC member Meenakshi Lekhi said the Council had first come up with the proposal in 2014, when it considered changing the name of Aurangzeb Road to Dara Shikh Road.
“However, former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam passed away then. So we decided to change Aurangzeb Road’s name to honour him,” said Ms. Lekhi.
She added that the Council decided to honour Dara Shikoh Road for “bringing Hindus and Muslims together”. She said the Council picked Dalhousie Road as Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General of India in the mid 19th Century, had annexed the Awadh. As per rules of the Centre, only names given to public facilities before the Independence can be changed. Therefore, the colonial-era Dalhousie Road could be renamed.
This is the third time that the NDMC has renamed a road in less than two years. In August 2015, Aurangzeb Road became Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Road. Then, in September 2016, Race Course Road, where the Prime Minister’s residence is located, was renamed Lok Kalyan Marg.
