Maharashtra cabinet decides to relabel colonies with caste-based names
The state cabinet also gave its nod to the proposal of withdrawal of social and political cases registered between November 1, 2014, and December 31, 2019.
The Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday cleared a proposal to rename colonies and areas that have caste-based names. Instead, it will be named after social workers and leaders or their related work, state social justice minister Dhananjay Munde said.
The state cabinet also gave its nod to the proposal of withdrawal of social and political cases registered between November 1, 2014, and December 31, 2019.
Most of the cases likely to be withdrawn are those registered against political workers and leaders for their agitations over various issues.
Across the state, several rural as well as urban areas are named after castes such as Maharwada, Mangwada, Bhrahmanwada, Mali Galli, Dhorvasti, among others. According to Munde, such names do not suit a “progressive” state like Maharashtra.
“Keeping that in mind and to maintain social harmony and goodwill in the state to increase national unity, all caste-based names of areas and localities in rural and urban parts of the state will be changed. They will be named after social workers or something corresponding to their work, for example, Samata Nagar, Bhim Nagar, Jyoti Nagar, Kranti Nagar,” a statement from Munde’s office said.
The urban development department will decide on the process in urban areas, while the rural development department will do the same for their areas, the statement added.
In 2012, the government changed the name of an award by dropping the word Dalit from it and renamed it Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Samaj Bhushan Award. The state government had already issued a government resolution in September 2019 to drop the use of the word Dalit from all government correspondences and schemes. All correspondences now use scheduled caste and Nav Bouddha instead.
On the proposal to withdraw social and political cases, the earlier Devendra Fadnavis government, soon after assuming power, had taken a decision to withdraw such cases registered before November 1, 2014. The current Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government extended the period to December 21, 2019. The government also dissolved the committee appointed under the finance minister by the earlier government to review such cases and has allotted power to the home minister.
The process for withdrawal of cases registered against protests by the Maratha community for reservation between 2016 and 2018 and the protests at Aarey colony against the earlier state government’s decision of cutting trees for a Metro car shed at Aarey in October last year has already begun. “Those are not part of the decision taken today, as the process for their withdrawal has already started. We will take a review of the other cases that are political/social in nature and had no loss of life or damage to properties,” said an official from the home department.
The officer said that cases are withdrawn under section 321 of the criminal procedure code and only after permission from the courts where they are being tried.