Kochi Corporation puts brakes on arbitrary renaming of roads
Renaming roads at whim is set to become a thing of the past in the city. The Kochi Corporation has decided not to alter existing
Renaming roads at whim is set to become a thing of the past in the city. The Kochi Corporation has decided not to alter existing road names or rename them at the whim of individuals and organisations, after similar attempts in the past had landed the civic body in trouble, including litigation. “Names of roads, even if unofficial but widely used by the public, will not be changed impulsively. New names will be assigned only to nameless roads. Any change in existing names will strictly comply with the Kerala Municipality Act, under which such demands must be submitted in writing by residents on both sides of the road concerned,” said Mayor V.K. Minimol.
One such renaming during the tenure of the previous council in West Kochi had to be reversed following popular protest and even threats of communal discord. The councillor concerned had secured approval for the change at the Ward Sabha and later at the council, but was forced to return to the council in tears to request reinstatement of the old name after widespread opposition culminated in a protest march to her residence. Though the council effected the reversal, the matter eventually reached the court, which directed the Corporation to hear the aggrieved party.
While considering a proposal to name seven roads in the Ernakulam South division recommended by the former councillor, the town planning standing committee advised the council to restrict renaming strictly to roads without existing names. The committee also tasked the assistant engineer with verifying whether the roads in question already had names. The report found that the road between St. Joseph School and KSRTC stand, the first road near South Junction on the eastern side of Chittoor Road, and the roads on either side just before Monastery Road meets Mullasserry Canal Road were nameless.
The committee recommended that the council name them SCS Menon Road, Doctors Lane, Sree Sankara Lane and Balan Master Lane respectively, as suggested by the Ward Sabha. The other three roads were found to already have names — A.M. Thomas Road, Layam Road and Collectorate Bungalow Road.
The BriefWire