Bengaluru traders fear 'violent' enforcement of 60% nameboard display rule

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.

Among the establishments targeted by activists in Jayanagar were a reputed silk saree store and decades-old jewellery store.

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.

BBMP officials instruct shop owners at Brigade Road to cover the signboards.

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.

BBMP officials instruct shop owners at Church Street to cover the signboards.

No deadline extension

Girinath, meanwhile, ruled out any extension to the deadline. “The government is coming up with an act of mandating 60% space for Kannada,” he said.

“We issued an order in December. So long as they display Kannada prominently, traders need not worry,” he added.

Praveen Shetty from the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike advised traders to follow the rules for their own benefit. “A large number of Bengaluru residents are able to read Kannada,” he said. “Traders should adopt the stage language with love. Once the deadline passes, we would ask the BBMP and the police to act against those who failed to comply. If no action is taken, we will enforce the rules.”

Suhail Yusuf, president of Brigade Road Establishment’s Association said no lover of Kannada would resort to violence to enforce it.

Bruhat Bangalore Hotels Association president PC Rao asked the BBMP to wait until the rules are notified, insisting that a third party should not be made the enforcer. “Given the lack of clarity and definition, the government must take extra care to protect the businesses,” he said.