The North Delhi Municipal Corporation in a special meeting of the House chaired by the Leader of the House Meera Aggarwal approved the proposal during its budget finalisation today but the option comes with a few riders.
"As per this plan, people can buy name tags of say a park, street, school, community centre, hospitals after their grandfather or anyone whom they think deserves the honour due to their work in the past," a senior NDMC official said.
But, the idea would first have to be cleared by the NDMC's Naming Committee, which would weigh in the merit of the proposed names before putting the seal on it.
The Standing Committee then tables it in its meet and the final approval is given by the municipal House.
"So, it is not that we are allowing anybody to name anything after anybody. There is a due process. Just because, someone can pay for naming, doesn't mean that we will allow it," Chairman of NDMC's Standing Committee Mohan Bhardwaj said.
"There is a procedure in getting a place or property named. And, the merit of the proposal would be analysed and examined on social and moral grounds by the Naming Committee before giving any approval," he said.
"We realised that apart from places and properties being named after famous and eminent people, common people could also get named as per their choice to bring in extra revenues.
"It is like people paying extra to get a VIP car number. And the earning could be used in maintaining such properties," he said.
Congress councillor and Leader of Opposition Mukesh Goel had opposed the move earlier as "inappropriate" and "illogical".
The budget proposal in November 19 last year had said that "the Naming Committee invariably finds itself politically and morally on wrong foot to recommend a name after which a street or park is to be named".