Name SCLR after Gopinath Munde, demands BJP

Nearly two weeks after union minister Gopinath Munde's demise, the BJP has demanded to christen the recently opened-for-traffic Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) after the leader.

Munde passed away on June 3, only a week after he took oath as union minister of rural development, in a car accident in New Delhi.

Citing his heavy contribution towards uplifting of the needy and poor sections of society, the BJP has made the demand with party corporator Dilip Patel moving a notice of motion in this regard.

"Munde was active in the political sphere right from his young days. He was a fighter who took up the issues of the needy. He tried to give justice to the public when he was a member of the zilla parishad, legislator, deputy chief minister and also the union minister. He was active for people until breathed his last. We feel it will be apt to name the bridge after him," said Patel.

Given BJP and its ally, the Shiv Sena, enjoy majority inside the civic House, the motion is likely to be approved in the form of a resolution. However, the prerogative of naming SCLR rests with the MMRDA, which constructed it. When asked about it, Patel said, "We are aware of it. Hence, we have written to chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, who heads MMRDA, in this regard. We have sent a communiqué to metropolitan commissioner UPS Madan too. We are trying our best to give a befitting tribute to Munde saheb," said Patel.

When queried, a senior civic official on condition of anonymity said, "We can only forward the resolution passed by House to the state government. It is the MMRDA which will have to take a call in this case."