26 October,2021 08:19 AM IST | Mumbai | A Correspondent
Photo for representational purpose
A street in Kala Ghoda, which connects VB Gandhi Marg and Saibaba Marg and was named after former Israeli prime minister and Nobel peace prize laureate Shimon Peres has run into controversy. The Samajwadi Party and Congress have demanded cancellation of the name as they claim the civic body conducted naming of the street illegally without following due protocol.
The naming of the street was first discussed in 2018, when the two parties had opposed the proposal and it was deferred. The street was named after Peres in February 2021 and the corporators claimed that as the General Body meeting was conducted online, nobody got to know when it got approved. However, now the Mayor has accepted a notice of motion with regard to cancellation of the name, and it will soon be put up for discussion.
The corporators asked how the proposal got passed when the General Body deferred it in 2018. They claimed that even though Peres had friendly relations with India, he had no direct connection with Mumbai or Maharashtra and hence the street should not be named after him. Group leader of Samajwadi Party, Rais Shaikh said, "We want this proposal to be cancelled." However, an official of the Municipal Secretary Department said, "The notice of motion has been accepted and will be put before the House for discussion, and then an appropriate decision in the matter will be taken."
