Activists urge shopkeepers to show Kannada on boards

Days after the Kannada Development Authority ruled that Kannada should be included in signage of shops and establishments, pro-Kannada activists went around Indiranagar on Sunday to urge shopkeepers to implement the rule.

Activists belonging to Karunada Sevakaru said the BBMP, instead of enforcing the KDA rule, limited itself to issuing circulars. They went to shops and gave roses to shopkeepers along with pamphlets explaining the rule. “The Palike has made the rule stating that 60% of the space on a signboard must be devoted to Kannada. Shopkeepers have ignored it. Many officials themselves are not aware of the rule. We requested them to give space for Kannada and change the signboards within 15 days,” said Roopesh Rajanna, of Karunada Sevakaru.

Activists said Rajanna tried to reach out to officials several times, but they did not respond to his calls. “Some of the areas in Indiranagar look like streets in a foreign country. How can we allow Kannada to disappear from the capital of the state,” an activist asked.

They said some shopkeepers removed the English-only banners voluntarily while some others sought time.