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.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. He wants Netaji Bhavan and Mahanayak Uttam Kumar stations to be reverted to their original names — Bhowanipore and Tollygunge, respectively.Among the other stations whose renaming he will propose are Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (at Ruby crossing), Jyotirindra Nandy (at Mukundapur crossing) and Swapno Bhor (in New Town). All three are on Orange Line, which will link New Garia with the airport once completed.Most of the stations Roy flagged were named when former CM Mamata Banerjee was railway minister in the UPA govt. “The names, chosen in a hasty and unplanned manner, leave commuters confused about the location of the stations,” Roy said.Netaji Bhavan, he pointed out, is quite a distance from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s ancestral house on Elgin Road. “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.Renaming committee chairperson Kartik Maharaj said stations would be renamed not for political reasons, but to address problems commuters face because of their current names.Metro officials said they would have no objection if the state govt suggested renaming of stations.The renaming exercise, however, may lead to controversy as many stations are named after personalities who occupy an important place in Bengal’s cultural and political history.Many daily commuters welcomed the move. “Some station names are very confusing, particularly between Tollygunge and New Garia. Renaming the stations based on their locations makes sense,” said a Garia resident and a regular metro user.The 10-member renaming committee is likely to hold its first meeting after Durga Puja. In the first phase, it will take up proposals to change road names in Kolkata. TOI reported on Monday that Lenin Sarani, Karl Marx Sarani and Ho-Chi-Minh Sarani are among the thoroughfares in the city that are set to get new names.
