Kolkata’s road-renaming process is set to include public notices, objections and hearings after controversy over the proposed change to Suhrawardy Avenue in Park Circus, with a 10-member committee tasked with examining future proposals.
A senior state government official said a public notice would be issued whenever a proposal was made to rename a road, avenue or street in the city. The notice would invite claims, objections and suggestions, specify a deadline and be circulated widely, the official said.
People who objected to a proposed name would then be invited to present their views at a hearing. After each hearing, the committee would evaluate the claims and objections and prepare a final proposal in consultation with its chairperson. The proposal would subsequently be sent either to the state Assembly or the state government for consideration.
The official said the government did not want to rush the process of changing road names. The committee’s mandate, according to an order issued by state chief secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal, is to examine the historical, cultural, social, heritage and public significance of proposed names and assess their suitability.
The committee is headed by Kartik Maharaj of the Bharat Sevashram Sangha. Its members include representatives of the urban development and municipal affairs department, the West Bengal Heritage Commission, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, the information and cultural affairs department, the Public Works Department, and the home and hill affairs department. Former BJP state president Tathagata Roy and Subrata Gupta, chief advisor to the chief minister, are also members.
An office for the committee will be established at the KMC headquarters on SN Banerjee Road, where the hearings will be held, the government official said. The date of the first meeting will be decided by the chairperson. Kartik Maharaj said the committee planned to meet once a week after the Durga Puja celebrations, although its members had only recently been appointed.
The move follows the Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s announcement on June 20 that Suhrawardy Avenue would be renamed Gopal Mukherjee Road. The announcement triggered controversy after the proposed change was linked to Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, who was described by the chief minister as a historical figure associated with violence. The controversy also involved confusion between Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and scholar Hassan Suhrawardy.
The proposed public process places road renaming within a broader administrative framework rather than treating it only as a municipal naming decision. The committee’s first meeting, the publication of the proposed procedure and the opening of the office at KMC headquarters are the next stated steps.
