Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road is a road in New Delhi's Lutyen's bungalow zone in Delhi, India. It lies at the north-east end, stretching from the 'Taj Mansingh Hotel' at the roundabout of Mansingh Road, Shahjahan Road, Humayun Road, Prithviraj Road and a road to Khan Market in the north-east. At the south-west end it stretches up to the crossing at Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Marg and Safdarjung Road junction. Abdul Kalam road is home to several Indian billionaires such as ArcelorMittal's L N Mittal, K P Singh of DLF and Max Healthcare's Analjit Singh.

Junction

A single junction is formed at the crossing of Tughlaq road, land on this road is worth ₹ 500 Crore (roughly $80 million) per acre.[1]

2014 Renaming

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam road was earlier called Aurangzeb road, named so by the British after the controversial Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb. In November 2014, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee petitioned the Prime Minister of India to change the name of Aurangzeb road after Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh guru, as a tribute to him on his martyrdom anniversary observed on 24 November.[2] Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed in Delhi on the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, who was infamous for his religious oppression. Canadian writer and activist of Pakistani origin, Tarek Fatah, suggested renaming Aurangzeb Road to Dara Shikoh road, after Dara Shikoh, the brother of Aurangzeb, who was executed by the latter.[3]

Aurangzeb road was renamed to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road by NDMC on request of Maheish Girri (BJP Member of the India Parliament for East Delhi) on 29 August 2015.

"As a tribute to the People's President, I propose to rename the 'Aurangzeb Road' in New Delhi to 'Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road'. In my opinion, this will be a great way of preserving his memories and legacy forever," wrote Maheish Girri for changing the name of the Road.

The Renaming of Aurangzeb road to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road also got criticism from various sections of historians[4] and politicians, such as Sharad Yadav of Janata Dal (United),[5] Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati,[6][7] Tariq Anwar of Nationalist Congress Party[8] and Asaduddin Owaisi of AIMIM.[9][10]

References
  1. "Rs 400-crore bungalows: Where billionaires live up". Rediff.com. 27 April 2011.
  2. Yudhvir RanaYudhvir Rana, TNN (22 November 2014). "DSGMC demands naming Aurangzeb Road after Guru Teg Bahadur's name". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  3. "Neither BJP, nor AAP: It was Tarek Fatah who first suggested renaming Aurangzeb Road". Firstpost.com. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  4. "Renaming Aurangzeb Road after Kalam isn't right: Delhi was inspired by history not bigotry". Firstpost. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  5. "Renaming Aurangzeb Road is trying to rewrite Delhi's history, please intervene: Sharad Yadav writes to Modi". Firstpost.com. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  6. Ashish TripathiAshish Tripathi, TNN (31 August 2015). "Mayawati opposes renaming of Aurangzeb road after Kalam". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  7. India (1 September 2015). "Don't rename Aurangzeb Road, name new road after Kalam, says Mayawati". The Indian Express. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  8. "NCP Leader Writes to PM Over Renaming of Aurangzeb Road". Outlookindia.com. 9 September 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  9. "Owaisi objects to renaming Aurangazeb Road". The Hindu. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  10. "Owaisi Protests Abdul Kalam Name For Aurangzeb Road". The Hans India. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.


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