Jaipur: The traffic wing of the Jaipur Commissionerate issued a corrigendum on Friday after an earlier notification – issued by the department – sparked a backlash from opposition parties and Dalit organisations because it mentioned the Ambedkar Circle as Polo Circle. On Feb 5, the department issued a notification stating that both sides of the stretch between Statue Circle to “Polo Circle” and from there up to Vidhan Sabha T-Point were declared a no-parking zone with effect from Feb 6.
After the notification triggered outrage, with several people taking to social media to criticise the state govt for naming Ambedkar Circle as Polo Circle, the police issued a fresh notification Friday. The new notification also referred to Ambedkar Circle as Polo Circle, but added a line that translated to: “Here Polo Circle refers to Ambedkar Circle”. Speaking to TOI, DCP traffic Sumeet Meharda stated that it was neither a mistake nor did the govt have any intention to malign a great figure like Dr BR Ambedkar. He claimed the name Polo Circle was used in the gazette notification issued on Feb 5 because “residents were more accustomed to Polo Circle than Ambedkar Circle”. “The name Polo Circle was mentioned just to ensure that all concerned can understand the location easily. We were informed that it has hurt the sentiments of a section of residents. So, we have issued a corrigendum. Our intention does not hurt anybody’s sentiment,” Meharda, who signed both the original and amended notifications, said. Old timers and historians of Jaipur recalled that this intersection was never called a ‘Polo Circle’ before the state govt unveiled the statue of Dr BR Ambedkar. “As far as I remember, owing to its proximity to the high court, the state govt decided to install Ambedkar’s statue here and it was officially named Ambedkar Circle. The place was never known to be Polo Circle,” said Tripti Pandey, an author and city resident. Following the notification on Feb 6, Tikaram Jully, the opposition leader of the state assembly, posted on his X handle: “This kind of tampering with the name of the circle where the historic statue of Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar is installed cannot be a simple mistake. The BJP must clarify why they harbour such hatred towards Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar that his name, identity, and honor are being repeatedly challenged.” On Friday after traffic department issued the corrigendum, Jully further posted, “After this blatant offense, neither there was an apology offered, nor any one was held responsible. This is not mere administrative negligence, but a blatant insult to the father of Indian Constitution, Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, and the so-called claims of good governance. An apology could at least be offered to the people of the state.”
