Due to the inaction of the Narva city council, the state has decided to itself change the names of five streets in Narva that are considered inappropriate for Estonia, as they are associated with the Soviet era, Regional Minister Madis Kallas said, as reported by public broadcaster ERR.
«On March 29, Narva was informed that certain street names are not suitable for Estonia. A couple of months were given for a response, but the Narva city council has not made use of this deadline. Since this matter falls under the jurisdiction of the regional minister, the corresponding order will be published either today or no later than tomorrow, whereby the state will change the names of five streets in Narva,» Kallas explained.
«The costs will be borne by the state. The costs are between 8,000 and 9,000 euros,» the minister said.
«The various parties, both involved and uninvolved, have 15 days to express their opinions. We'll see if there are any additions or proposals, but that is today's decision, and we are moving forward with it,» he added.
In January, Narva changed the names of streets named after Communist revolutionaries Albert-August Tiimann and Ancis Dauman, but the renaming of seven other streets associated with the Soviet era has stalled.
A draft proposal has been tabled in the Narva city government to rename Aleksei Juhhanovi Street to Vaike-Rakvere Street, Arsenti Bastrakovi Street to Masina Street, Igor Grafovi Street to Madise Street, Mihhail Gorbatsi Street to Seedri Street, July 26th Street to Juuli Street, Partisani Street to Loome Street, and May 1st Street to Jaama Street. The city council has not yet made a decision regarding said names.