Activists staged a demonstration in front of the Mysuru City Corporation office on Thursday, January 11, seeking directives for prominence to Kannada on nameboards within the MCC limits.
But a section of business establishments drawn from the hospitality sector have urged the authorities to reconsider any such decision.
The issue has gained prominence following the government’s decision to bring in a rule to make it mandatory to accord Kannada 60 per cent of the space on all nameboards and signboards. While the BBMP has already issued a circular the Shivamogga City Corporation also issued a notification recently making it compulsory for all business and commercial establishments to ensure that 60 per cent of the space in the nameboards be in Kannada.
The activists belonging to Karnataka Sena Pade assembled in front of the MCC office and raised slogans in support of their demands. The activists demanded that the MCC should immediately issue a notification so that all commercial establishments in the city give due prominence to Kannada by according 60 per cent of the space to it on the nameboards and signboards.
Kannada is supreme in Karnataka and that being the case the language should be given due prominence at all public venues and in commercial transactions, said the activists.
It said the Shivamogga City Corporation has recently issued a notification to such an effect and also warned that failure to adhere to such a rule will result in the revocation of the trade license. ‘’We demand that the MCC officials convene an emergency meeting and issue such a notification,’’ the activists added.
It called for all business and commercial establishments, schools, colleges and other educational institutions, and government offices – be they Central or State – to adhere to the rule. ‘’The MCC should give one-month time for such a move after which those failing to adhere to the rule should be penalised,’’ according to Kananda Sena Pade.
The activists led by district unit president Tejesh Lokesh Gowda, warned the MCC that in case it failed to meet their demands they would be forced to blacken the nameboards not confirming to the 60 per cent rule.
Meanwhile, the hospitality sector led by the Hotel Owners Association has urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah that all business establishments adhere to the 50:50 rule as stipulated by an earlier government order dated March 24, 2018.
‘’We will not be surprised that going forward the demand may be to accord more space for Kannada so that it occupies 70 per cent or even 80 per cent of the space. Under the circumstances we request the government to reconsider its directives on the 60 per cent rule and stick to the 50 per cent rule,’’ said the association president C. Narayanagowda.
He said more than 50 per cent of the tourists visiting Mysuru and other places of historical importance and interest are people from other States. Besides, Mysuru was a tourist district and a city and hence, in the interest of tourism promotion, the government should stick to the 50:50 rule, he added.
