KOCHI: Three major roads in the city are set to be named after great social reformers from the state. The Kochi corporation decided to name the Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road after Sree Narayana Guru, Thammanam-Pulleppadi Road after Mahatma Ayyankali and the Stadium Link Road after Chavara Kuriakosachan.
Citing the state’s reformation movement that began in the 16th century, Mayor M Anilkumar said, “Kerala was at the forefront when it came to social reform movements. This is a collective decision and not based on any religion, caste or creed. Moreover, these three reformers played important roles in combating injustice in our caste-ridden society.”
The city has named its roads after eminent personalities, from Mahatma Gandhi and Subash Chandra Bose to Justice Chandrashekaran and A K Sheshadri. “When a religious outfit filed a request to name the Kaloor-Kadavanthra road after Ayyankali, it made the council realise that not a single road in Kochi is named after a social reformer from the state. That realisation led to this historic decision,” the Mayor said.