Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Feb 2: Dakshina Kannada district deputy commissioner Darshan H V has directed that Kannada must be compulsorily displayed on nameboards of all commercial establishments, including shops, companies, offices and hotels, across the district.
Presiding over a meeting of the Dakshina Kannada District Kannada Jagruti Committee at the deputy commissioner’s office on Monday, Darshan H V said urban local bodies and grama panchayats must make the use of Kannada on nameboards a mandatory condition while issuing trade licences. He also instructed officials to conduct regular inspections to ensure strict compliance.
The deputy commissioner said directions would be issued to the National Highway Authority of India to ensure that information on various signboards along national highways is displayed in Kannada. He added that banks would be instructed during bankers’ committee meetings to provide application forms in Kannada.
Stressing the need to strengthen the presence of the state language in public spaces, Darshan H V said English-medium schools and colleges must also display their institution names in Kannada on their nameboards. He further said steps would be taken to ensure that private buses display place names in Kannada.
The Mangaluru City Corporation would be directed to take action to ensure that shops functioning inside shopping malls also display their names in Kannada, he added.
Members of the District Kannada Jagruti Committee raised several concerns during the meeting. They pointed out that Kannada-medium schools in rural areas are being forced to shut down due to a shortage of teachers, and urged the administration to find a lasting solution.
Members also expressed concern that in some industries workers from other states are being employed, while local youth are being overlooked.
The committee further demanded that nationalised banks provide deposit and withdrawal slips in Kannada. It was also pointed out that staff lacking knowledge of Kannada are being posted in rural branches of nationalised banks, causing inconvenience to local customers in carrying out banking transactions. These issues were brought to the notice of the Deputy Commissioner.
Speaking on the occasion, Dakshina Kannada District Kannada Sahitya Parishat president Dr M P Sreenath urged the administration to allot land for the construction of a district-level Kannada Bhavan in the city.
Among those present at the meeting were additional deputy commissioner Raju K, Urban Development project director Dr Santosh Kumar G, joint director of industries Gokuldas Nayak, district information officer B A Khadar Sha, assistant director of the Kannada and Culture department Rajesh G, and district Kannada Jagruti Committee members Deviprasad, Anjashekar Ajra, Rajesh D’Souza, Divakar Das and Hasainar Talitthanuji, among others.