William Shakespeare may have asked "What's in a name?" but if a recent Gujarat government decision is to go by, names are worth quite a bit.
William Shakespeare may have asked "What's in a name?" but if a recent Gujarat government decision is to go by, names are worth quite a bit. The state government is considering renaming nearly 80 Acts that carry the word 'Bombay' in their names.
The above-mentioned Acts were passed before Gujarat and Maharashtra were named separate states, and at that time, the entire area, one huge state, was called Bombay Province. In 1960 though, the region was pronounced two different states. The names of the Acts, however, remained unchanged.
Once the state assembly approves of the decision, the word 'Bombay' in all these acts will be changed to 'Gujarat'. Sources in the state government said, "Several laws in the state have 'Bombay' in their title. However, looking to the golden jubilee celebrations of Gujarat's statehood, the government is considering changing the titles of the said Acts."
However, the sources added that only the name will change, and this change will have no bearing on the nature of the Acts.
The state's legal, revenue and urban development departments are working in this direction. "Main Acts having 'Bombay' in their titles are being used in revenue and urban development departments. The officers of these departments are working hard to bring in the resolution to rename these acts, in the forthcoming monsoon assembly session, scheduled to start on September 6," said a source.
However, the official admitted that bringing in the resolution in the next session may be difficult, due to the paucity of time.
Earlier also, Acts like the municipality Act, town planning Act and panchayat Act have been renamed. What was earlier called Bombay Municipality Act is now referred to as Gujarat Municipality Act.
However, legal experts do not feel the need for these Acts to be renamed, as their nature doesn't change by a change of title.
"Renaming an Act will not make any difference, as its nature does not change this way."
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