The Kochi Corporation has decided to put an end to the arbitrary renaming of roads in the city. This decision comes after previous attempts at renaming roads led to trouble, including litigation, for the civic body.
According to Mayor V.K. Minimol, the corporation will no longer alter existing road names or rename them at the whim of individuals and organisations. Instead, new names will only be assigned to roads that do not already have a name. Any changes to existing names will be made in strict compliance with the Kerala Municipality Act, which requires written submissions from residents on both sides of the road.
A previous renaming attempt in West Kochi had to be reversed after it sparked widespread opposition and even threats of communal discord. The councillor who had proposed the change was forced to request reinstatement of the old name after a protest march was held outside her residence. Although the council reversed the decision, the matter eventually ended up in court, which directed the corporation to hear the aggrieved party.
The town planning standing committee has advised the council to restrict renaming to roads without existing names. This decision was made while considering a proposal to name seven roads in the Ernakulam South division. The committee also tasked the assistant engineer with verifying whether the roads in question already had names.
After verifying the roads, the committee found that four of them were nameless and recommended that they be named SCS Menon Road, Doctors Lane, Sree Sankara Lane, and Balan Master Lane. The other three roads were found to already have names - A.M. Thomas Road, Layam Road, and Collectorate Bungalow Road.
The corporation’s decision to put an end to arbitrary renaming of roads is expected to bring an end to the confusion and controversy that has surrounded the issue in the past.
