After the state government issued guidelines allowing the Metro Rail Authority to rename metro stations, Pune Metro announced plans to rename six metro stations, including Mangalwar Peth, Budhwar Peth, Ideal Colony, Civil Court, Shivajinagar and Bhosari. Pune Metro will form a committee to rename stations as per the new guidelines.
The demand to change the name of the metro station started after the opening of the first phase of the Pune Metro in March 2022, when commuter groups called for a change in the name of Bhosari station, suggesting that it be renamed Nashik Phata as metro services stop here. Commuters said Bhosali is 5 km from Nashikpatta, which is located on the Pune-Mumbai highway. Later, there were demands to change the names of Mangalwar Peth, Ideal Colony, Civil Court and Shivajinagar metro stations.
Pune Metro Director (Engineering) Atul Gadgil said, “Following public demand, we have submitted the metro station renaming proposal to the state and central governments as it does not fall under our jurisdiction. Now, The state government has given the power to rename or change the names of metro stations to the Pune Metro Rail Authority. Therefore, we have decided to change the names of metro stations.”
“We have decided to change the names of Mangalwar Peth, Budhwar Peth, Ideal Colony, Civil Court, Shivajinagar and Bhosari stations based on the applications received. However, we have to form a committee to take a final decision. We will form a committee within a week. The committee will comprise Pune Municipal Commissioner, Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner and others,” he said.
State authorizes Pune Metro to be renamed
The Urban Development Department (UDD) of the state government had issued an order on February 23 to change the names of metro stations. Rules for changing metro station names were mentioned. Maharashtra UDD deputy secretary Vijay Chaudhari said in the order that metro projects in Maharashtra, including those in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, are managed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, It is managed by various departments including Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited. Maharashtra Metro Rail Operations Limited and Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited; supervised by UDD. The names of metro stations are officially recorded in the Gazette of India after getting approval from the state and central governments. However, locals, public representatives and groups have demanded a change in the names of some metro stations in the state.
To address this issue, the organization overseeing the metro project needs to establish an internal committee. These committees will decide whether to rename subway stations. They will receive feedback from citizens, resident groups, local leaders and organizations. The new name must reflect the area’s geography and be easily identifiable to everyone, among other guidelines. In controversial cases, organizations should provide clear feedback to the government before submitting proposals for approval.
Demands from commuters, political parties and citizen activists
Uddhav B Thackeray-led Shiv Sena party workers on Tuesday demanded that the proposed Mangalwar Peth metro station be renamed as Kasba Peth.
said citizen activist Nitin Pawar. “It makes no sense as Mangwa Pais is far away from the station. Ramai Smarak has used its land near the statue of Mata Ramai Ambedkar for the construction of the station; the Metro has named it ‘Ruby Hall’ after a private hospital. Likewise , the Metro station near Pune Regional Transport Office is named Mangalwar Peth, which does not make sense as Mangalwar Peth is far away from the station.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Pune mayor Sanjay More said: “They should consider naming the Mangalwar Peth metro station after Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj , because the educational institution for the poor founded by the former royal family is right next to it.”
Lawyers in Pune have raised objections to the name of ‘Civil Court’ metro station, demanding that it be renamed as Pune District Office Metro Station or District Court Pune Metro Station. They believe the current name misrepresents the station’s location and purpose. Commuters in Kothrud, on the other hand, are demanding that the name of the Ideal Colony metro station be changed as the station is not located near Ideal Colony. The area is about 500 meters from the station. They said the names should be realistic and should show a closer landmark.