District Collector given additional charge as MD of Kochi metro, with Loknath Behera’s term ending on August 30

With the extended tenure of Loknath Behera as the managing director of Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) expiring on August 30, the State government on Saturday (August 29, 2026) issued a government order (GO) giving the additional charge of MD of the metro agency on a temporary basis to G. Priyanka, District Collector of Ernakulam.

She will thus hold the additional charge from August 31.

A 1985 batch Indian Police Service officer, Mr. Behera had been appointed as MD of KMRL in 2021, on his superannuation as State Police Chief. The GO said that Mr. Behera was appointed at the helm of the metro agency on re-employment basis for a three-year period, which was subsequently extended twice (by then State government).

His tenure as the head of KMRL saw, among others, the Kochi metro making operational profit of ₹52.64 crore in 2025-26. The year also saw its net loss fall from ₹430.50 crore in 2024-25 to ₹352.49 crore. The Kochi Water Metro too was launched in 2023, during this period.

Mr. Behera, writing to the State government earlier this month, suggesting to change the name of KMRL to Keralam Metro Rail Limted had ignited a controversy, with people’s representatives and others from Kochi opposing the move tooth and nail. Finally, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan clarified that there would be no name change.

A new MD is awaited at a time when the metro’s ₹1,957-crore Kakkanad extension is due for commissioning in a year, after which KMRL is expected to shift focus to the third phase — the metro’s airport extension.

A senior official of the agency said, on condition of anonymity, that a technocrat or a serving civil servant ought to be appointed as MD of the metro agency, considering the delay in executing the metro’s extensions and addressing land acquisition issues. “Such a person will be able to better coordinate with the Central agencies concerned on relevant permissions and loans, and also with the district administration for aspects like land acquisition,” he added.

Arjun Prakash, admin of Kochi First, a social media collective that has been campaigning for a technocrat or a person with proven credentials as KMRL chief, was critical of the State government’s ‘inordinate delay’ in naming a successor to Mr. Behera. “Only a dedicated person having a vision, is still in service, and also has a proven track record like V.J. Kurien, who played a key role in realising the Cochin International Airport, must be posted as MD of the metro agency. Care should be taken so that the person does not have regional preferences,” he said.

He credited Mr. Behera with getting the Centre’s approval for the metro’s 11.20-km Kakkanad extension and for helping retain KMRL as among the few well-managed agencies in Kerala. Mr. Prakash further said that the new MD of the metro agency ought to be given additional charge as head of the Kochi Metropolitan Transportation Authority (KMTA), which was launched with much fanfare but became defunct due to non-allocation of personnel and resources.

The KMTA was the first of its kind in India with legislative backing.