Kochi: Kochi Metro Rail Ltd has proposed changing its name to Keralam Metro Rail Ltd to reflect its expanding role in urban transport projects across Kerala, but the proposal has already faced opposition from Kochi MP Hibi Eden, who has urged the state government not to take a final decision without consensus.

Why Kochi Metro wants a new name

KMRL Managing Director Loknath Behera has submitted a recommendation to the state government seeking in-principle approval to rename the company Keralam Metro Rail Ltd.

The proposal comes shortly after the state government issued a notification changing the state's name to Keralam.

KMRL said the proposed name would better reflect the company's current and future responsibilities beyond Kochi. The organisation is involved in plans for metro projects in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, in addition to its existing operations in Kochi.

Behera said a city-specific name was no longer considered suitable for an organisation whose planned activities extend across the state.

What will change if the proposal is approved?

The proposed change concerns the name of the company rather than the metro system's existing operations.

KMRL said the renaming would not affect its:

  • Existing assets
  • Liabilities
  • Contracts
  • Employees
  • Legal existence

The company said the branding and related changes would be funded from its own resources.

However, the proposal would require several approvals. The state government would first have to provide its approval, followed by procedures involving KMRL's board of directors and shareholders, the Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs and the central government.

Hibi Eden objects to the proposal

Kochi MP Hibi Eden has opposed the proposed name change and has written to the state government seeking that the existing name be retained.

Eden described the proposal as unusual and argued that the expansion of KMRL's technical expertise into other parts of Kerala does not require the existing company to be renamed.

He said the technical expertise developed through Kochi Metro could be used for urban transport projects across the state without changing the company's identity.

Eden also argued that the assessment that the name Kochi Metro Rail Limited is unsuitable because of the organisation's future operations across Kerala was incorrect.

Call for consensus

Eden has urged the government not to rush into a final decision.

He argued that future metro projects could be given appropriate local identities when they are developed in their respective regions, rather than changing the name of the existing Kochi Metro organisation now.

He has requested that the name Kochi Metro Rail Limited continue and that any decision on renaming be taken only after consensus and agreement among the relevant stakeholders.

Why the name change is being proposed

KMRL's argument is based primarily on its expanding mandate.

The organisation is currently associated with Kochi Metro but is also involved in plans for urban transport projects in other parts of Kerala, including the proposed metro projects in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode.

KMRL has therefore proposed a broader state-level identity that it says would reflect its future responsibilities.

The company also cited examples of metro organisations that have adopted state-level names, including Maharashtra Metro, Uttar Pradesh Metro and Gujarat Metro.

Keralam name change adds context

The proposal follows the state government's recent notification officially changing the state's name to Keralam.

The proposed company name therefore uses Keralam Metro Rail Ltd, rather than Kerala Metro Rail Ltd.

The company has said the proposed name is intended to reflect its wider geographical role rather than simply change the identity of Kochi's existing metro service.

What happens next?

The proposal is currently at the recommendation stage.

The state government must first consider KMRL's request and provide in-principle approval. If approved, the company would then have to complete further corporate and government approval procedures.

The opposition from Hibi Eden means the proposal has also become a political issue, with the Kochi MP asking the government to retain the existing name.

No final renaming has therefore taken place at this stage.

The dispute is essentially about whether KMRL's future statewide role should be reflected through a new corporate identity or whether the existing Kochi-based name should be retained while the organisation expands its work.

KMRL argues that its responsibilities are no longer limited to Kochi and that a state-level name would better represent projects in other cities. Eden, meanwhile, argues that the organisation can provide technical expertise and implement projects across Kerala without changing the established Kochi Metro identity.

The distinction between the company's name and the metro services themselves is also important. The proposal is to rename Kochi Metro Rail Ltd, the organisation responsible for the projects, rather than immediately rename the existing metro service operating in Kochi.

The proposal will require multiple approvals and has not yet been finalised.