Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Jul 1: Hours after the students, staff and the management of St Aloysius Institutions staged a strong protest against the renaming of the St Aloysius College Road as Mulki Sunder Ram Shetty Road after the former chairman of Vijaya Bank, the state government on Saturday July 1 ordered a stay on the matter.
The move comes not only in response to the protest by St Aloysius Institutions and alumni, but also due to a letter written to the state government by MLA J R Lobo, urging the government against the renaming.
In his letter dated July 1, 2017, J R Lobo had stated the road has been known by the name of St Aloysius College road from past several years. "St Aloysius College has a history of 137 years during which Jesuit priests have been imparting education to youngsters without any discrimination of religion or caste. The students who have passed out of this institution have achieved highly in various fields. Before renaming the road as Mulki Sunder Ram Shetty Road, neither the college nor the public was informed, but according to the Mangaluru City Corporation, it has followed the due the procedure of law.
"Vijaya Bank has shifted its head office from Mangaluru to Bengaluru. Even the building that was first established by Vijaya Bank does not lie along this road. Sunder Ram Shetty belongs to Mulki where there is a college and a building in his name," he contended.
"The move to rename the road has hurt many people of the city. An atmosphere of unrest has been created. There is a need to find a peaceful solution to the issue. I urge the government to bring a stay on the renaming of the road and the order issued to this effect on May 5, 2017, so that a meeting could be convened with the district in-charge minister and suitable solution could be found," Lobo urged.
In response to the letter, the state government has taken serious note of the matter and issued a stay on the order to rename the road until further notice.