Three Gurgaon Metro stations rechristened with brand names

Gurgaon to Gurugram is not the only name change in the process, three of the five city stations of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) now have a corporate name added to them.

Gurgaon to Gurugram is not the only name change in the process. Three of the five metro stations in the city now have a corporate name added to them.

Huda City Centre becomes Shalimar Huda City Centre Metro station. (Abhinav Saha/HT Photo)

The three stations -- Huda City Centre, MG Road and Guru Dronacharya -- were recently prefixes of high-profile companies such as Shalimar, Syska LED and Indigo airlines.

So, Huda City Centre Metro station is now Shalimar Huda City Centre, MG Road is now Syska LED MG Road metro station and Guru Dronacharya has been rechristened as Indigo Guru Dronacharya.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) auctioned off station names -- in both Noida and Gurgaon -- to generate revenue in the absence of a fare revision.

Around 17 stations, including five in Gurgaon were selected for bids. Players who made the highest bids were given advertorial rights of the stations for a period of 10 years.

“Advertorial rights of the stations are given to companies that make the highest bid. Four of the five stations in Gurgaon have been leased out and the process is on for other stations in both Noida and Gurgaon,” spokesperson of the DMRC said.

The rights for Huda City Centre Metro station were bagged by Shalimar Paints while Pioneer Publicity Corporation Private Limited made the highest bid for three stations -- MG Road, Guru Dronacharya and Sikanderpur. The firm later handed over the rights to other companies, including Indigo and Syska LED.

Though the DMRC spokesperson did not reveal the revenue gain, a highly placed source said the DMRC was able to rake in `2 crore per annum from each station.

The name change, however, has not gone down well with the city residents. Many said there are other ways to generate revenue than change names of metro stations and create confusion.

“The name change of the metro stations does not make sense as the contract has been signed for only 10 years. If the contract is not renewed, these stations will get a new name and create more confusion. The DMRC should look into the branding policy opted by them,” said Shreyasi Shingatgeri, a daily commuter.

However, this is not the first instance of stations being used for branding in Gurgaon. The Rapid Metro in Gurgaon has also acutioned off station names to companies to generate revenue. It currently has a Vodafone Belvedere Tower station and Micromax Moulsari Avenue station on its network.