Bhopal’s Habibganj station renamed after Rani kamlapati

• The name of Bhopal’s Habibganj railway station has been changed to Rani Kamlapati station.
• The state government of Madhya Pradesh proposed this to the Centre last week, which gave the clearance without any delay.
• This is to coincide with the inauguration of the station, which has been redeveloped at a cost of around Rs 100 crore with private participation — a first such large-scale PPP model in station redevelopment in India, in the works for the past few years.

About Queen Kamlapati

• Rani Kamlapati was the widow of Nizam Shah, whose Gond dynasty ruled the then Ginnorgarh, 55 km from Bhopal, in the 18th century.
• Nizam Shah built the famous seven-storeyed Kamlapati Palace in her name in Bhopal.
• According to the state government, Kampalati is known to have shown great bravery in facing aggressors during her reign after her husband was killed.
• The Gond are one of the largest tribal communities in India, spread across Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar and Odisha.
• The renamed and redeveloped railway station is being inaugurated on November 15, the birth anniversary of the iconic 19th century tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda.

How are railway station names changed?

• It is a common misconception that Indian Railways can change the name of its stations.

• While Indian Railways may own the station, it does not get involved in the business of naming it.

• This is left to the discretion of the state government concerned.

• Change of station names is entirely a state subject even though Railways belong to the Union government.

• The state governments send the request to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the nodal ministry for these matters, which then accords its approval, keeping the Ministry of Railways in the loop.

• Usually, it is ensured that no other station with the new name proposed exists anywhere in India.

• If a state government wants to change the name of a city, generally, there is little reason for the Centre to come in the way or keep an old name in circulation, including in the signage of its properties there.

• What happens when a name is changed?

• Once the name change is notified by the state government following all due process, Indian Railways steps in to do the necessary work.

• A new station “code” for railway operation purposes may need to be invented.

• The name change is then fed into its ticketing system so that the new name along with the code is reflected on its tickets and reservation and train information.

• Lastly, it physically changes the name written at the station — building, platform signage, etc, and also in its communication materials for all practical purposes.