Traders are urging the civic body to defer the February 28 deadline until after the government frames the rules
Bengaluru: Though the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s mandate of “60 per cent Kannada display” on nameboards on shops is weeks away, it has struck fear among traders — activists on Wednesday removed nameboards in shops in Jayanagar and vowed to return.
The vandalism, a repeat of nameboard removal that happened in December, followed the civic body’s rules issued on December 26, asking shops to provide 60 per cent space for Kannada signages in their nameboards. Shops along the city’s 1,400 kilometre-long arterial and sub-arterial roads were given two months, until February 28, to comply.
To provide legal backing to the order, the state government tried to bring an ordinance, but Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot instructed the Siddaramaiah-led government to pursue its passage through the assembly. Subsequently, the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development (Amendment) Bill was tabled in the assembly on Wednesday.
The bill authorises the government to cancel trade licences of businesses that fail to display signages with 60 per cent Kannada letters. “In every district, the wing — comprising police personnel — will enforce the law,” Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi said.
Traders concerned
Traders are urging the civic body to defer the February 28 deadline until after the government frames the rules, warning that the ambiguity in the rule will encourage pro-Kannada activists to stage violent protests targeting businesses, as it had happened in December.
Such was the extent of the confusion that the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) invited BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath to address their concerns.
Questions posed at the meeting include ‘should the logo, description of the shops follow the 60% Kannada rule’, ‘can Kannada boards be placed on top or next to the already existing English board?’
Vijay Shekhar Ravi, a trader in Jayanagar, said activists damaged the newly installed nameboard above his shop with prominent display in Kannada. “I followed the 60% rule,” he said. “But activists thought the English display was slightly bigger, which was not true.”
Discussing the bill in the assembly, Deputy Leader of the Opposition Arvind Bellad raised similar concerns. “How will this work when six letters of English become three in Kannada? How is 60% calculated then? This must be clarified or else there’ll be problems in implementation,” he said.
Rahul Goyal, who owns a hardware store on SP Road, felt the BBMP should have factored in multiple aspects before fixing the deadline. “People supplying nameboards in Bengaluru are fewer and they charge a premium since the deadline to comply with the rule is shorter,” he said, adding that not all shop owners could afford to replace the signboards.