Rajpath and Central Vista Lawns in the national capital will now be known as “Kartavya Path”, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) announces.

Updating to Kartavya Path

• The entire stretch and the area from the Netaji statue under the Grand Canopy to the Rashtrapati Bhavan will be known as Kartavya Path.
• Kartavya Path, which will be opened to the public at the end of the official function, will exhibit landscapes, lawns with walkways, added green spaces, refurbished canals, amenity blocks, improved signages and vending kiosks.
• New pedestrian underpasses, improved parking spaces, new exhibition panels, and upgraded night lighting are some other features that will enhance the public experience.
• It also includes a number of sustainability features like solid waste management, storm-water management, recycling of used water, rainwater harvesting, water conservation and energy-efficient lighting systems, among others.

Kingsway to Rajpath

• Called Kingsway during British rule, the three-km stretch was built as a ceremonial boulevard by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, the architects of New Delhi, more than a hundred years ago.
• The capital of the Raj moved to New Delhi from Calcutta in 1911, and construction continued for several years thereafter.
• Lutyens conceptualised the modern imperial city centred on a “ceremonial axis”, which was named Kingsway in honour of the then Emperor of India, George V.
• He visited Delhi during the Durbar of 1911, where he formally proclaimed the decision to move the capital.
• The nomenclature followed that of the Kingsway in London, an arterial road built in 1905, which was named in honour of King Edward VII, the father of George V.
• Following Independence, the road was given its Hindi name, Rajpath, on which the Republic Day parades took place over the decades that followed.

Why sudden renaming?

• During his address from the Red Fort on August 15, Modi had stressed on the abolition of symbols of colonialism.
• The new name and look of Rajpath, as well as the installation of the 28-foot statue of Netaji under the Grand Canopy under which a statue of George V once stood, are meant to represent that spirit of the proud new India.

Significance of all recent event

• The construction of the Central Vista Redevelopment Project began in February 2021, with the new Parliament building and redevelopment of the Central Vista Avenue in the first phase.
• The aim is to build an iconic avenue that truly befits the New India, the government has said about the Rs 608 crore Central Vista Avenue project.
• It symbolizes a shift from erstwhile Rajpath being an icon of power to Kartavya Path being an example of public ownership and empowerment.

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