Language policy: KDA demands action against Namma Metro

The Kannada Development Authority (KDA) has written to the government, asking it to initiate action against Namma Metro for violating the language policy.

In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, KDA chairman S G Siddaramaiah said Namma Metro had been violating the language policy since 2011 and recommended that action be taken against all officers concerned. In the letter, copy of which is available with DH, the KDA chairman said a two-language policy should be adopted (Kannada and English), while Kannada should be the primary language for all administrative matters.

“Metro is a state-funded project. The present managing director Pradeep Singh Kharola had clearly communicated this in a letter to the Union urban development secretary on July 2, 2016,” the chairman said, stressing the need for giving primacy to Kannada.
A copy of the letter is also sent to chief secretary Subash C Khuntia and additional chief secretary to the urban development department Mahendra Jain.  The KDA has recommended that seven chief engineers who are non-Kanandigas be relieved from their posts. “Karnataka has the highest number of engineering graduates in the country. Despite that, appointing people of other languages as chief engineers is a clear violation of the Sarojini Mahishi report,” he said.

S G Siddaramaiah also expressed concern over a large number non-Kannada speaking persons being hired in various other levels, including those outsourced for cleaning and security.