Sowmya Aji Mehu - Times News Network

Bangalore, Mar 4: Has former chief minister N Dharam Singh's grand proposal to rename the IT city by its culturally rooted name of 'Bengalooru' been shelved? Culture circles are a worried lot.

The present CM, H D Kumaraswamy, is making the right noises about the IT city's infrastructure, but has not given "any attention" to the renaming proposal.

Kumaraswamy has said he is game for it, if the people want it. At the same time, he indicated that things such as infrastructure will not change by merely switching to a new name.

Result: Officialdom has not moved an inch forward on the proposal. Singh, announcing the renaming decision on December 12, 2005, had directed chief secretary B K Das to follow through on the proposal.

But sources told The Times of India: "A cabinet resolution should have been passed on the issue, which was not done due to the zilla and taluk panchayat elections. Then the government itself fell."

The only thing that has been clarified is: It is the urban development department, not Kannada and culture, which is supposed to prepare the required Union home ministry proposal for renaming. But officials don't even know the procedure, because "we have not been asked to find out yet."

Confounding the confusion, if some think a cabinet resolution is sufficient to kick-start the process, others think a Bangalore Mahanagara Palike resolution is needed. But no one has acted on either.

A worried Kannada and culture directorate has brought the matter to the CM's attention, in an effort to give it the required momentum.

"The plan was to rename the city to mark Karnataka's Golden Jubliee, Suvarna Karnataka. If we have to catch that November 1 deadline, things have to get moving as soon as possible," officials pointed out.

Culture circles are also concerned that the renaming plan, proposed by Jnanpith awardee U R Ananthamurthy, may fall due to the changed political situation. "Kumaraswamy might not push for it as it was his predecessor who announced the decision," sources said.

Ananthamurthy himself has decided to take the whole situation with a pinch of salt. "I made this suggestion to make our cosmopolites be aware of where they live.

I wanted to cause a little bit of disturbance in their consciousness and bring an awareness of Kannada syllables. I have written to Kumaraswamy outlining the reasons for my suggestion, but the rest is up to him."