‘Renaming Kochi Metro is not under consideration; final decision on Messi controversy soon’

KOCHI: Chief Minister V D Satheesan has rejected reports that the state government has been recommended to rename Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) as Keralam Metro Rail Limited. The chief minister clarified that the government is not considering any proposal to change the name. He added that he came to know about the matter through media reports.

The chief minister also said that KMRL’s statement regarding the proposed name change was a unilateral press release. He was speaking while attending the foundation-stone-laying ceremony for a house under the Punarjani project in Paravur.

‘The government has always stood with the people. Welfare pensions will be distributed at the earliest. A final decision will be taken soon over the report on the Messi controversy. An investigation against Veena is underway, isn’t it? It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the matter at this stage. The people concerned should respond to it. What the Left says and what it does are two different things. The people will understand these matters. The previous government gave me a clean chit in the Punarjani case. I was confident that I would get a clean chit. They conducted an investigation and found that there was nothing wrong, yet the issue was publicised with a political motive. As part of the project, the construction of around 150 houses has been completed so far’, said the chief minister.