On Independence Day, 16 parks in Delhi bearing the names of several unsung heroes of the freedom struggle were dedicated by Lt Governor V K Saxena who said the step was an attempt to etch their names in an "otherwise lopsided historical narrative".

At an event on Monday as part of the 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', Saxena unveiled a plaque of 'Lala Hardayal Park' at Jasola and symbolically dedicated the remaining parks located across the city, officials said.

'Lala Hardayal Park' was earlier known as "District Park, Jasola", they said.

A list of 16 parks had been sent by the DDA to the Delhi government a few months ago for naming them after freedom fighters like Lala Hardayal, Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon, General Shah Nawaz Khan, Gobind Behari Lal, Colonel Prem Sahgal and Basanta Kumar Biswas among others, officials had said.

These parks were to be named after unsung freedom fighters from Delhi as a mark of respect and recognition to their sacrifices, they had said.

DDA officials on Sunday said District Park, R-Block, Greater Kailash-I has been named as 'Asaf Ali Park'; District Park, Sector-B, Vasant Kunj as 'Avadh Behari Park'; District Park at Jasola as 'Lala Hardayal Park'; District Park, Lok Vihar, Pitampura as 'Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon Park'; and District Park, Sector-11, Dwarka as 'Swami Shraddhanand Park' and Park no. 27, Sector 11, Dwarka, as 'Deenbandhu C. F. Andrews Park', among others.

The Delhi LG later also tweeted about the event and shared a few pictures.

"Dedicated 16 @official_dda Parks to the memory of unsung / forgotten Heroes of our Freedom Struggle. These Parks named after great Sons & Daughter of Mother India are a small tribute to their memory and an attempt to etch their names in an otherwise lopsided historical narrative," he tweeted.

In a statement, the DDA these are big parks and are distributed across Delhi.

A large number of people visit these parks every day for fresh air and good health, it said.

"The idea of naming these parks after unsung heroes of freedom struggle is to make the current and coming generations more aware of the contribution of the great people who sacrificed their lives to enable us inherit an Independent nation," the urban body said.

Manoj Tiwari, MP North East Delhi; Ramesh Biddhuri, MP South Delhi; Gautam Gambhir, MP East Delhi; DDA Vice Chairman Manish Kumar Gupta and authority member Vijender Gupta were also present on the occasion.

'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' is an initiative of the government to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of the Independence and the glorious history of its people, the culture and its achievements.

"This Mahotsav is dedicated to the people of India who have not only been instrumental in bringing India thus far in its evolutionary journey but also hold within them the power and potential to enable Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of activating India 2.0, fuelled by the spirit of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'," it said.