After Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the shopkeepers in Ujjain city of BJP ruled Madhya Pradesh would also have to display their names and mobile numbers outside their shops, failing which, they would be fined Rs 2000 for the first violation and Rs 5000 on their second offence.

The Ujjain Municipal Corporation is also ruled by the BJP and City Mayor Mukesh Tatwal has instructed the officials to strictly ensure that all shopkeepers adhere to the order.

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Ujjain is also the hometown of MP Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, and it has become the first city in MP to issue such orders to the shopkeepers.

Mr Tatwal said he has issued such instructions. He stated that violators would be fined Rs 2000 on the first occasion and Rs 5000 the second time.

The Mayor reasoned that the move is to ensure safety and not aimed to target the Muslim shopkeepers.

Mr Tatwal informed that the Mayor-in-Council of Ujjain had cleared the proposal for the shopkeepers to put up their names way back on 26 September 2002. After that, the House of the Corporation passed it.

Subsequently, the proposal was sent to the state government and objections were invited. The Mayor said all the formalities for the implementation have been already completed.

Mr Tatwal said the provision is present in the Paid License and MP Shop Establishment Act or Gumasta License.

Days after the police in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar asked all eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owners’ names, the UP government on Friday extended the controversial order across the state, while Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said similar instructions are already in place there.

The order has been slammed by the opposition parties and some members of the ruling alliance, who say it targets Muslim traders.