Within a fortnight, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is all set to rename another famous circle in Lutyens' Delhi. The civic body has proposed to rename the iconic Teen Murti Chowk and Teen Murti Marg to Teen Murti Haifa Chowk and Teen Murti Haifa Marg.
Haifa is a city in Israel, and the renaming is aimed at boosting relations between India and Israel ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the country in July.
The proposal was on the top of the agenda at the Council meeting, to be presided over by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The meeting was scheduled for Tuesday but it has now been rescheduled for Thursday. The circle is located next to the Nehru Memorial Library and Museum (NMLM).
"While the meeting has now been postponed to Thursday, the draft resolution will be placed before the Council to consider renaming of the Teen Murti circle and street," a senior official said.
In 2015, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, led by Union Minister Mahesh Sharma, had raised the issue of honouring the three cavalry regiments of the Indian Army who fought the Battle of Haifa in Israel in 1918, during the First World War.
The ministry had seriously contemplated the renaming after a meeting of senior RSS leaders was convened in the Capital in September, 2015. The leaders had been demanding recognition to the three battalions for their role in the battle in Haifa. The battle was fought on September 23 and since then, the day is observed as 'Haifa Day' to commemorate the victory.
The ministry was of the opinion that the name Teen Murti was misleading for the layman, who associated it with Mahatma Gandhi's three monkeys instead of the soldiers' successful capturing of Haifa.
According to officials, the locations will be renamed under clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 231 of the NDMC Act-1994.
Earlier this month, Park Street located near the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital was renamed after Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The road was rechristened a day before Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was to reach Delhi.
