KMC tells traders to ‘put up signages in Bengali apart from other languages’

Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is learnt to have asked all commercial establishments within its jurisdiction to put up signboards in Bengali, apart from the other languages already in use.

The move came in the wake of Bengali being recognised as a classical language by the Centre in October. Following this, a demand was raised by the councillor Biswarup Dey that signages in the city be also written in Bengali.

It was learnt that the civic body has now set a tentative February 21 deadline for initiation of the process. The traders, including owners of shops, restaurants and other business establishments, were asked to ensure that names and other necessary information about their outlets are written in Bengali in addition to any other languages.

Mayor Firhad Hakim had earlier said that such a move was not to enforce only one language but to include Bengali in the signboards. Being told that several establishments have signboards in English and even Hindi, he had said that he has nothing against the use of Hindi, English or other languages in banners, festoons, signages and such modes of communication.

However, Bengali must also be included as it has already been given the status of a classical language and is a matter of pride for Bengal, he emphasised.

The mayor added: “The credit goes to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who wrote to the Centre on more than one occasion, pushing for the status. I had visited Uttarakhand where I found hoardings in their local language”.

The KMC’s municipal secretary Swapan Kundu is learnt to have said that the civic body is already in contact with the owners of shops, restaurants and other business establishments to do the needful.

KMC sources said that earlier too in 2007, the then mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya had suggested traders to include Bengali in the signboards but it did not materialise then.