Mumbai, Feb 15 (PTI) A junction in south Mumbai has been named after late Israeli leader and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shimon Peres, a civic official said on Monday.

The junction, close to a synagogue near Kala Ghoda, has been named after Peres with an aim to improve bilateral relations with that country, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official on condition of anonymity.

The proposal for 'Shimon Peres Chowk' was moved by the local ward office, he added.

However, Congress corporator Ravi Raja opposed the move and said, as per rules passed by the BMC in 2018, only personalities from Maharashtra or the rest of the country can be bestowed with such an honour.

Peres, who died in September, 2016, served as his country's president and prime minister in a political career spanning almost 70 years.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)