The Opposition BJP in Mangaluru City Corporation Council on Wednesday urged Mayor Kavita Sanil to intervene in the issue of naming the Light House Hill Road after Mulki Sundar Ram Shetty, founder, Vijaya Bank, and prevail upon the government to allow it name the road. The Urban Development Department issued an order on July 1 withdrawing its earlier approval given to name the road after late Shetty. Addressing presspersons, Ganesh Hosabettu, Leader of the Opposition in the Council, said that the council on February 24, 2015, had passed an unanimous resolution on naming the road after the late Shetty as the bank had provided employment to many people. An agenda of the same had been placed before the council following a request by the Vijaya Bank Employees Association. The corporation had invited objections to it from people by publishing advertisements in newspapers on December 22, 2015. People had been given one month to file objections. But no objections had been received. In addition, the Mangaluru Police Commissioner submitted a report on January 1, 2017, stating that there was no objection to naming the road after late Shetty and it would not lead to any law and order problem. However, J.R. Lobo, MLA, Mangaluru City South, in his July 1 letter to the department claimed that it would indeed lead to law and order problem. He was able to get the department to withdraw its approval on the same day. “Thus, the MLA has insulted the council,” Mr. Hosabettu said. Mr. Hosabettu, a former Mayor, alleged that the MLA had taken a unilateral decision on a resolution passed by the council without consulting it. “He has given false information to the government by stating that it would lead to a law and order problem. It has pained many people,” he said and added that the BJP condemned it. He said that if the Mayor did not take any action in the matter, the BJP would raise the issue in this month’s council meeting. Criticising the MLA, he said that when there were numerous issues relating to managing traffic and improving markets, instead of addressing these, Mr. Lobo has taken special interest and intervened in the issue of the naming of the road. He should have taken the same interest in solving traffic and market issues. It may be mentioned that St. Aloysius College and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) had staged protests against naming the road after Shetty. They had demanded that the road be called St. Aloysius College Road as the college is on the road. United Muslim Organisation, Dakshina Kannada, has said that it should be named Idgah Maidan Road as the Idgah Masjid on the road had historical links. Road not named officially earlier The road from Catholic Club to Ambedkar Circle had never been officially named after any institution or person, according to a reply by Mangaluru City Corporation Commissioner to the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada. In his reply on May 25, 2016, the Commissioner said that the road is routinely called Light House Hill Road. The Deputy Commissioner had sought these details on May 4, 2016.

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