Collector issued notice

MUMBAI, JULY 26: The Mumbai District Collector, Debashish Chakravarty, has received a legal notice from Congress worker Jaykant Shukla fo...

MUMBAI, JULY 26: The Mumbai District Collector, Debashish Chakravarty, has received a legal notice from Congress worker Jaykant Shukla for recently demolishing a plaque on Churchgate8217;s C8217; Road, which was renamed after his late father, P M Shukla.

Addressing presspersons today, Shukla, executive member of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee informed that the legal notice was sent on July 22 to the collector mainly on the ground that the C8217; road was renamed after his father by the BMC much before July 11, 1999 8212; the date of commencement of the election code of conduct.

8220;The name P M Shukla Nirjhar8217; Marg on the granite plaque and on the name-plate belonged to the BMC. The collector8217;s action to remove the plaque and the name-plate on July 17 is therefore illegal and smacks of ulterior motives,8221; stated Shukla, challenging Chakravarty8217;s action.

Shukla added he will soon move Bombay High Court if the collector fails to restore the new name-plate of the road. 8220;The draft of our petition is ready.And since we have still not received any reply to our notice, there is no other alternative but to move court,8221; said Shukla.

When contacted, city collector Chakravarty preferred to reserve comment. All he said was: 8220;I only reiterate my stand on the issue, as we have strictly followed the election commission8217;s directives.8221;

The election code of conduct came into existence on July 11, and on the same day, between 9.45 am to 10 am, Shukla said he had held a small function to unveil the name-plate and plaque. The function was attended by eminent personalities including Murli Deora. 8220;At that time we had no knowledge that the code of conduct would be implemented later that day. Hence I was shocked to learn that the collector, in his capacity as election officer, had filed a complaint at Azad Maidan police station,8221; he said.

Asked how he felt about the C8217; Road residents8217; agitation over the renaming, Shukla remarked: 8220;My father was not only a freedom fighter, but also a poet. In fact, it was NatajiSubhash Chandra Bose who had nicknamed my father as Nirjhar8217; waterfall because his poems were as beautiful as a waterfall. The residents should respect this and not make it a big issue.8221;

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Shukla also revealed he had written to the police about an anonymous threatening phone call he received on July 21 at his residence. However, he has still not been given police protection, he added.