Madhya Pradesh: Shop Owners in Ujjain Asked to Display ID, Congress Calls it Divisive Move

The shop owners who defy the order will be penalised, the order issued by Ujjain Municipal Corporation said.

According to Ujjain Mayor Mukesh Tatwal, a penalty of Rs 2,000 will be imposed on the violators for the first offence. It will be increased to Rs 5,000 if the violators committed the offence a second time.

“The move is aimed at ensuring safety and transparency. It is not targeted against Muslim shop-keepers”, he added.

According to him, the order was passed by the corporation way back in September 2002 and subsequently sent to the state government for completing certain formalities.

Although all the formalities have been completed, the implementation of the order was delayed due to the decision by the corporation to relax some norms in it.

In the revised order, the norm seeking to display uniform nameplates in size and colour by the shop-keepers was dropped and the owners of the establishments have been asked to show their name and mobile number outside their shops.

He said that the order was issued on the basis of MP Shop Establishment Act or ‘Gumasta License’, enacted with an objective to serve the interest of customers.

A customer can always approach the shop-keeper if he or she is not satisfied with the item, he added.

Ujjain, the home town of Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav, is home to the famous Mahakaleshwar temple, where one of the 12 Jyotirlingas is worshipped.

The move comes close on the heels of a similar order issued by Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments in their respective states.

Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari on Sunday slammed the move calling it divisive.

“Such an order will divide the society. The order clearly targets Muslims”, he said and demanded its revocation.