Showing names not mandatory for shopkeepers along Kanwar Yatra route: MP govt

Bhopal: The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has made it clear that it has not issued any instructions requiring shopkeepers to display their names along the Kanwar Yatra route in the state, nor does there exist any such requirement.

Amid a row in Uttar Pradesh over a directive to display names of shopkeepers at eateries along the Yatra route, the MP government has asked civic bodies not to create confusion.

The Urban Development and Housing Department (UDHD) issued a statement on Sunday evening, days after the Ujjain mayor alleged that shopkeepers had been ordered to display their names and phone numbers on signboards.

The state government has not issued any instructions on writing the names of shopkeepers on the hoardings of their establishments along the Kanwar Yatra routes in urban areas, the UDHD said.

Ujjain Mayor Mukesh Tatwal last week referred to a purported mayoral council decision of September 26, 2002, and claimed that a proposal asking shopkeepers to list their names had been approved.

He claimed that the approval had been forwarded to the state government for objections and all formalities had been completed.

The UDHD said that such reports were incorrect and directed civic bodies not to create confusion over the guidelines for shopkeepers along the Kanwar Yatra route. The UDHD pointed out that the Madhya Pradesh Outdoor Advertising Media Rules, 2017, do not require shopkeepers to display their names on hoardings.

“Signboards can be placed on shops as per the Madhya Pradesh Outdoor Advertisement Media Rules, 2017. There is no requirement to display the name of the shop owner on these signboards,” the UDHD said.

Following the mayor’s comments, the Ujjain Municipality confirmed that there is no proposal to make display of names and phone numbers on shop signs in the city mandatory.

In addition, BJP MP Ramesh Mendola wrote a letter to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, expressing support for shopkeepers who want to proudly display their names.

Mendola argued that naming names is a matter of personal pride and the customer’s right, not something that should be required or discouraged.

“Every small and big trader, businessman and shopkeeper in Madhya Pradesh will feel proud to name his name,” the MLA said.

In Uttar Pradesh, the controversy began when the Muzaffarnagar police ordered eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of the owners to avoid confusion. The directive has been criticised by opposition parties and some members of the ruling alliance who claim it unfairly targets Muslim traders.

The BJP government in UP on Friday extended the measure for the entire state, while Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said similar instructions have already been implemented in his state.