BHOPAL: The Ujjain municipal corporation in Madhya Pradesh made a U-turn on Sunday, a day after asking shop owners to display their names and mobile numbers outside their establishments in the ancient city, a directive that came on the heels of a similar order by the BJP government in UP for eateries along the Kanwar Yatra routes.
Ujjain, the hometown of CM Mohan Yadav, is known for its Mahakal temple, attracting devotees from across the country, especially during the Savaan month, which starts on Monday. On Saturday evening, the Ujjain corporation’s assistant commissioner (public relations) released a statement containing an appeal by mayor Mukesh Tatwal to mandatorily display shop owners’ names and phone numbers within the municipal limits of the pilgrim city.
Violators will have to pay a Rs 2,000 fine for the first offence and Rs 5,000 if they defy this order for the second time, mayor Tatwal said on Saturday. He said the Mayor-in-Council of Ujjain had approved a proposal on September 26, 2002 for shopkeepers to display their names. He stressed that the measure is rooted in the MP Shop Establishment Act or Gumasta Licence, and it serves to enhance customer safety.
On Sunday evening, the UMC’s assistant commissioner (PR) made a fresh statement, saying that no executive order had been passed by UMC for imposing penalty on those who fail to get their name displayed on their shops.
The urban development and housing department also issued a statement, making it clear that no instructions had been issued for display of owners’ names on shops on Kanwar Yatra route. “There were reports about some urban local bodies compulsorily getting owners’ names displayed on shops falling on the Kanwar Yatra routes, but the department has directed all local bodies to stay away from such confusion,” the statement said.