What's in a name? A lot, if you are trying to find your way around Dwarka.
Dwarka is full of chowks that have more than one name. Kaveri Chowk in Sector 5 is also called Shakti Chowk. KM Chowk in Sector 11 is also called Gurudwarak Chowk, Mount Carmel Chowk in Sector 22 is also called DG(S) Chowk and so on. And these are not just colloquial names people have given. They actually have two different boards identifying the Chowk's names.
Why these multiple names for the same Chowk?
A resident of Sector 4, Seema Agrawal, says, "Naming a Chowk after one's own business or institution is an easy way of marketing your brand for free. That is one of the main reasons it's being done. And there is no one to stop it."
President of Dwarka Lok Kalyan Manch DP Vajpayee says, "How can one name the Chowks in one's own interest? It is a violation of anti-defacement law of the municipal corporation. DDA and municipal corporation should come together and make a policy to stop the practice. Chowks should only be named as per the law and at times, with suggestions from the community."
One of the DDA officials says, "There is no rule to naming a Chowk in Dwarka. DDA has never named any Chowk, but planting boards and giving it a name of one's choice is illegal. We remove the boards we receive complaints about. Names that are popular or convenient should be presented to the Delhi government by DDA. That's the proper way."
