KOLKATA: The state government has renamed nine Metro stations in the New Town stretch of the Garia Station-Airport route. While stations in the stretch along the EM Bypass had been named after various personalities, including Satyajit Ray (SRFTI), Ritwik Ghatak (Kalikapur) and Hemanta Mukherjee (Ruby), names that have now been suggested for the latter section of the line denote an area or a landmark. The state government had earlier renamed several stations in the north-south line, most of them after personalities like Uttam Kumar (Tollygunge), Masterda Surya Sen (Bansdroni) and Kabi Nazrul (Garia).
The state transport department has informed Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco) of the new names proposed for the nine metro stations between Nazrul Tirtha at the entry to New Town from Salt Lake Sector V till Chinar Park, the last station in New Town before the train turns right into VIP Road on its way to the terminal station at Kolkata airport.
While the metro projects in Kolkata are developed by Railways that names the station after the site or the locality to help identify them so that the project contracts can then be issued on specified segments between the stations, the state government has the prerogative to rename them. Sources said a proposed name requires to be vetted by the home ministry only if it is after a personality. None of the nine stations that have been renamed in New Town are after any personality. The East-West Metro lines, developed by special purpose vehicle Kolkata Metro Railway Corporation (KMRC) before being handed over to Railways for operation also has the stations named after locations. The stations between Rabindra Sarobar and Noapara and its extension to both Dakshineswar and Kolkata airport are named after locations or landmarks.
A senior Hidco offiical said the state had already conveyed its decision to Metro Rail and RVNL. “We had earlier received the proposal of renaming the upcoming metro stations in New Town, which has been approved,” said a senior transport department official.
Citing the reason for renaming stations, a Hidco officials said New Town had developed since Railways had given the provisional names at the time of finalizing the project several years ago and that locations where stations are situated are now popularly known by landmarks like Nazrul Tirtha or Biswa Bangla Convention Centre that have since sprung up.
Some time ago, Hidco authorities had received a formal petition from a section of residents, who had pointing to the mismatch between names given to stations and where they were actually located. For instance, the station near first rotary in New Town is named Bidhannagar while it is well past neighbouring township Salt Lake.