Kolkata: The committee set up by the state govt to examine proposals to rename roads, bridges and other public places will turn its attention to metro stations, too.
Because of their current names, renaming committee chairperson Kartik Maharaj said stations would be renamed not for political reasons, but to address problems commuters face.
Senior BJP functionary Tathagata Roy, who is a member of the Swami Pradiptananda (Kartik Maharaj)-led panel, said he would propose that metro stations named after famous persons be renamed based on their locations to avoid confusion among commuters. “The names, chosen in a hasty and unplanned manner, leave commuters confused about the location of the stations,” Roy said. “Commuters will find it more convenient if the station’s original name, Bhowanipore, is restored,” he said. Roy also cited Beleghata station on EM Bypass (Orange Line), which he said is located at Metropolitan, far from the main Beleghata area. Metro officials said they would have no objection if the state govt suggested renaming of stations. Renaming the stations based on their locations makes sense,” said a Garia resident and a regular metro user.
He wants Netaji Bhavan and Mahanayak Uttam Kumar stations to be reverted to their original names — Bhowanipore and Tollygunge, respectively. Most of the stations Roy flagged were named when former CM Mamata Banerjee was railway minister in the UPA govt. Netaji Bhavan, he pointed out, is quite a distance from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s ancestral house on Elgin Road. Many daily commuters welcomed the move. “Some station names are very confusing, particularly between Tollygunge and New Garia.