BBMP does U-turn on naming road after Lt Col Niranjan Kumar
- BBMP had volunteered to dedicate Doddabommasandra road to Lt Col Niranjan Kumar
- But now, it plans to name the underpass on Dr Rajkumar Road after the brave soldier
- Lt Col Niranjan Kumar was killed during the Pathankot terror attack
FollowThe Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike is in the news, for all the wrong news, yet again. The BBMP which had been promising all the while that it would dedicate the Doddabommasandra main road after martyr Lt Col Niranjan Kumar has gone back on its own words inviting criticism.
Lt Col Niranjan Kumar, a Bengalurean was killed while diffusing a bomb during the terror attack at the Pathankot airbase. There were suggestions from many citizens groups to pay tributes to Lt Col Niranjan Kumar and one among them was naming any Road. Following this, the Palike - last month - had volunteered to declare the Doddabommasandra main road that runs through Vidyaranyapuram after the brave soldier.
However, now, it has come to light that the Doddabommasandra main road has already been named after a freedom fighter, Pete Siddappa. It is learnt that freedom fighter Pete Siddappa had donated huge acres of land to the government which costs at least Rs 200 crore in today's market value. Mayor, who was apparently oblivious to it had declared to name it after Lt Col Niranjan Kumar. But Pete Siddappa's son Nagaraj - taking objection to it - has now dashed off a letter to Agriculture Minister Krishna Byregowda condemning the BBMP's move. He demanded the government not to overwrite the road that already been dedicated to his father.
Following this, the minister had directed Mayor G Padmavathi to take the right decision. It is learnt that the officials allegedly goofed-up in declaring the Doddabommasandra road after Lt Col Niranjan, when the road had already been credited after the freedom figher.
Blaming the officials for bungling up the records, Mayor Padmavathi told Kannada Prabha that "It is unnecessary to drag the names of these two who sacrificed their lives for the country."
A decision to dedicate the newly built underpass at Dr Rajkumar road after Lt Col will be taken at the Council meeting. Also, the Kempapura Esteem Mall Skywalk will be named after him, too. Besides, an underpass which is coming up near Housing Board will be named after another martyr, Girish Akshay who was killed during terrorist attack on Nagrota army base attack.
