Kolkata: The ‘Biswa Bangla’ imprint is set to disappear from yet another prominent public landscape in Bengal, with a state govt panel proposing to rechristen Biswa Bangla Sarani as Shri Krishna Chaitanya Avenue as part of an ongoing exercise to change the names of institutions and infrastructure associated with the erstwhile Trinamool regime.The 33.5km thoroughfare from the airport to Kamalgazi — covering New Town Major Arterial Road and Salt Lake Bypass, as well as parts of VIP Road and EM Bypass — was named Biswa Bangla Sarani by then CM Mamata Banerjee in 2015.In 2010, the then Left Front govt had renamed Major Arterial Road, which was inaugurated in July 2004, as Jyoti Basu Sarani in memory of the former CM, who had died months before.“We have decided to rename Biswa Bangla Sarani as Shri Krishna Chaitanya Avenue. We are working on some other proposals, too,” said Kartik Maharaj (Swami Pradiptananda), who heads the state govt’s road-renaming committee. He said the proposal would be placed before a five-member committee of historians, researchers and cultural experts next month.“It is likely to be approved before Durga Puja,” he said.The proposed rechristening assumes significance as the road cuts through New Town, where several projects and public institutions carry the ‘Biswa Bangla’ branding introduced by the Mamata Banerjee administration.The ‘Biswa Bangla’ name has already started disappearing from public landmarks. As reported by TOI on Tuesday, the state’s iconic Biswa Bangla stores — a retail platform launched to promote Bengal’s handlooms, handicrafts and other cultural products — are set to be rebranded as ‘Paschim Banga’.The ‘Biswa Bangla’ name has also been removed from the New Town convention centre, a 10-storey complex housing a convention hall, two auditoriums and four banquet-cum-exhibition halls, with a combined seating capacity of around 4,000. The Biswa Bangla Gate, a 55m-high landmark in New Town that features a hanging restaurant and a 360-degree viewing gallery, also has had the words ‘Biswa Bangla’ removed from its exterior signage.The ‘Biswa Bangla’ signage at the Beleghata-EM Bypass crossing has also been replaced by ‘Bidhannagar’.The govt’s renaming drive started with a June 20 circular, when Kolkata Municipal Corporation renamed Suhrawardy Avenue in Park Circus as Gopal Mukherjee Road. Days later, CM Suvendu Adhikari asserted that Kolkata’s streets would no longer carry the names of Mughal, Pathan or British personalities, while making exceptions for national figures such as APJ Abdul Kalam.Renaming roads is not new to Kolkata. Harrison Road is now Mahatma Gandhi Road, Theatre Road is known as Shakespeare Sarani, while Lower Circular Road and Upper Circular Road have been renamed Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road and Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road.But attempts to change popular road names have not always taken roots. Park Street continues to be known by its original name despite being officially renamed Mother Teresa Sarani. Red Road has never gained currency as Indira Gandhi Sarani, while Ballygunge Circular Road is still referred to by that name despite having been officially known as Pramathesh Barua Sarani for many years.
