MP Govt Says Name Plate Outside Shop Not Mandatory

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh government has come out with a clarification that it is not mandatory for the shop owners to display their names and advised the urban bodies in the state to ‘avoid spreading confusion’ on this matter.

The government’s clarification comes amid a row over a controversial directive by Ujjain Municipal Corporation mayor Mukesh Tatwal seeking the local shop-keepers to display their names outside their establishments.

A statement issued by the urban development and housing department here late on Sunday evening said “There are no official instructions from either the department or the government regarding the requirement to display shop owners’ names on boards for shops located along routes used by Kavad pilgrims”.

The statement has clarified that the Madhya Pradesh Outdoor Advertising Media Rules, 2017 do not mandate the display of shop owners’ names.

“The department has advised all urban bodies to avoid spreading confusion on this matter”, the statement said.

In his interaction with the media people in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, Mr Tatwal said that a proposal to make display of shop owners’ names mandatory was passed by the MIC of Ujjain Municipal Corporation a year ago.

Legal action will be taken against the shop owners who violated this, he had said.

Ujjain city is home to the famed Mahakaleshwar shrine where one of the 12 Jyotirlingas is worshipped.

Lakhs of Kavads from faraway places travel on foot to pay obeisance to the presiding deity of the shrine every Monday in the month of Sawan, falling in July-August.

Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have recently issued orders making it mandatory for the shop owners in the route of Kavad Yatra in their respective states to display their names.

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the order.