LAHORE, Jan 30: The chief minister has finally approved a summary of the City District Government of Lahore seeking naming/renaming of various city roads, intersections and interchanges after renowned personalities.

Shahbaz Sharif approved the summary after the CDGL moved it to him through the Lahore commissioner, the secretary Local Government and Community Development and the chief secretary.

Though the CM and top Punjab government officials raised no objections on CDGL’s recommendations, they made slight changes in naming/renaming of some city spots after famous personalities, officials told Dawn here on Wednesday.

They said the authorities kept pending the naming of Shadman’s Fawara Chowk after Bhagat Singh till the decision of a court in Lahore.

“The CDGL had recommended naming/renaming Model Town underpass after Faiz Ahmad Faiz, but the authorities changed it by naming it after Ashfaq Ahmad Khan.

They named the Mall Road underpass after Faiz Ahmad Faiz. Similarly, the CDGL had recommended naming Niazi Interchange after Ikramullah Niazi, but senior officials named it after Bulleh Shah,” said a senior official.

He said the chief minister approved the naming of underpasses at Doctors Hospital, Jinnah Hospital, New Campus, Muslim Town, Ferozepur Road, FC College, Jail Road, The Mall, Dharampura, Mughalpura, Harbanspura and Burki Road (at GT Road) after Chaudhry Rehmat Ali, Chaakar-i-Azam Rind, Khushhal Khan Khattak, Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Liaquat Ali Khan, Justice AR Cornelius, Waris Shah, Ashfaq Ahmad Khan, Husain Shaheed Soherwordi, Habba Khatoon, Joginder Lal Mandal and Col Mirza Hasan Khan Gilgiti, respectively.

He said the suggestion to name the Model Town underpass after Faiz Ahmad Faiz, the Niazi, Ravi, Mahmood Booti and Babu Sabu interchanges after Bulleh Shah, Ustad Daman, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Sadequain, respectively, was also approved.

Similarly, the naming/renaming of the Saggian bridge after Justice AR Kayani, Akbar Chowk (Township) after Jalaluddin Akbar, 7-Up Chowk (Gulberg) after Waheed Murad, Hamdard Chowk after Hakeem Muhammad Saeed, Cooperative Chowk after Allama Rasheed Turabi, Fort Road after Maulana Abdul Qadir Azad, Istanbul Chowk after Patras Bukhari and Qadhafi Stadium Road (Main Gate to Liberty) after Hafeez Kardar was also approved.

Before this, the official said a sub-committee as well as a main steering committee of the Dilkash Lahore Project had recommended naming/renaming these important city spots after famous figures following extensive debates/discussions in various meetings.

“While recommending the name of Fawara Chowk (Shadman) after Bhagat Singh, steering committee chairman Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday (retired) quoted remarks from Quaid-i-Azam’s Sept 13, 1947, speech in which he too appreciated Bhagat Singh,” the official said.

He said had someone avoided challenging naming of Fawara Chowk (Shadman) after Bhagat Singh in the court, the CM and other higher authorities would have approved it as well.

The official said the CDGL had sent another summary to the CM for approval seeking naming/renaming of the GT Road Interchange, Old Club Road, Main Shadman Chowk (Jail Road), Behkeywal Chowk, Model Town Park Roundabout and Kutchery Chowk after Sher Shah Suri, Hashim Khan, Habib Jalib, Waris Mir, Hafeez Jalandhari and Prof Dr Nazeer Ahmad, respectively. “It is hoped that the CM will approve this summary as well,” he added.