Karnataka Assembly passes bill mandating use of Kannada on 60 per cent space of sign boards
Bengaluru, Feb 15: A bill mandating that Kannada displays of businesses and establishments must occupy 60 per cent of the space on signboards was passed by the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Thursday.
Non-compliance would lead to cancellation of the licences of businesses, the government asserted in the house.
The Kannada Language Comprehensive Development (Amendment) Bill, 2024, amends the 2022 act.
The amendment makes a provision to ensure that commercial, industrial and business undertakings, trusts, counselling centres, hospitals, laboratories, amusement centres and hotels, among others functioning with the approval and sanction of the government or local authorities, display information in Kannada language on 60 per cent of the space on name boards.
Information in Kannada shall be displayed in the upper half of the sign board, the bill said in its statement of objects and reasons.
Moving the bill for the consideration of the house, Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi said the government is framing rules to enforce the law.
"In the rules, we will provide for cancellation of licences. Only when licences are cancelled will businesses and establishments feel the pinch. At the time of issuing fresh licences or renewing existing licences, we will first ensure that they have complied with the rules on using Kannada in (name) boards," Tangadagi said.
He also assured the legislators, especially from the opposition BJP, that the government would also insert rules on imposition of fines for violation.
The minister further said that the government would form task forces apart from an enforcement wing comprising police personnel, in every district to ensure compliance.
He said the problem of Kannada not being used on name boards exists only in Bengaluru.
In Bengaluru, the government will form committees in all eight municipal zones; "these committees will receive complaints on Kannada. We are also coming out with an app called 'Kangavalu' for this," he added.
The Karnataka Cabinet on January 5 gave its approval to an ordinance to amend the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Act that mandates use of the state's language in 60 per cent space on signages.
As of now, the law requires the use of Kannada language in the upper half of signboards, displaying the names of businesses.
The government had decided to take the ordinance route to speed things up in the wake of violent protests by pro-Kannada organisations targeting some businesses and establishments in Bengaluru for not giving prominence to Kannada.
However, late last month, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot returned the ordinance to the state government with the advice to present it as a bill before both houses of the state legislature for approval, since the notification for summoning both houses for sessions had already been issued.
The bill also amends the act to appoint the Director of the Directorate of Kannada and Culture as the Member, and the Secretary of the Kannada Development Authority to be the convenor of the 'State Level Committee' that will act as an enforcement authority for implementing the use of the official language.
Welcoming the bill, Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka stressed on the need to impose fines.
"Even if you make it 80 per cent (use of Kannada), we will support it. But what we pass should not remain only as an Act. Impose hefty fines, it's the only thing that will work. Otherwise, (business and establishments) won't care," he said.
Senior BJP MLA S Suresh Kumar remarked that having to enact a law for Kannada was in itself painful.
"Why have people taken this for granted? If people who do businesses here don't want to use Kannada, it shows a bad mindset... People have no love for Bengaluru. They don't think it's their city. But their customers are Kannadigas," he said, while stressing on the need for enforcing the law.
The Budget session of the Karnataka Legislature, which began on Monday, is scheduled to end on February 23.
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UP Police use tear gas to disperse crowd throwing stones during Sambhal mosque survey
Sambhal (UP) (PTI): Police used tear gas and "minor force" in the face of stone pelting by locals here on Sunday as tension escalated during a second survey of the Mughal-era mosque, claimed to be originally the site of an ancient Hindu temple.
Tension has been seething in Sambhal over the past few days after the Jama Masjid was surveyed last Tuesday on the orders of a local court following a petition that claimed that a Harihar temple stood at the site.
According to the local administration, a second survey by an "Advocate Commissioner" as part of a court-ordered examination into the disputed site began around 7 am and a crowd began gathering at the spot.
"Some miscreants came out of the crowd gathered near the site and pelted stones at the police team. The police used minor force and tear gas to bring the situation under control," Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Vishnoi said.
He said those who engaged in stone pelting and those who incited them will be identified and action taken against them.
District Magistrate Rajendra Pesia said, "Some miscreants resorted to stone pelting but the situation is peaceful now and the survey is underway."
Videos of youths throwing stones at police, purportedly near the site of the survey in Sambhal have surfaced on the Internet.
Supreme Court lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, who is also the petitioner in the case, had said the Court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) ordered the constitution of an "Advocate Commission" to survey the mosque.
The court has said that a report should be filed after conducting a videography and photography survey through the commission, he had said.
The Central and Uttar Pradesh governments, the mosque committee and the district magistrate of Sambhal have been made parties in the petition concerning the mosque, Jain said last Tuesday.
Vishnu Shankar Jain and his father Hari Shankar Jain have represented the Hindu side in many cases related to places of worship, including the Gyanvapi Mosque-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute.
Gopal Sharma, a local lawyer for the Hindu side, told PTI on Friday that in his petition filed in the court, he mentioned that "Baburnama" and the "Ain-e-Akbari" has confirmed that a Harihar temple was at the site where the Jama Masjid now stands.
He also claimed that the temple was demolished by Mughal Emperor Babur in 1529.
Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq had objected to the developments.
"The Jama Masjid of Sambhal is historical and very old. The Supreme Court had given the order in 1991 that whatever religious places are there in whatever condition since 1947, they will remain at their places," he had said.
The next date for hearing in this case is January 29.
VIDEO | Uttar Pradesh: Stones and slippers pelted in Sambhal when a survey team reached Shahi Jama Masjid to conduct a survey of the mosque.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 24, 2024
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7)#SambhalJamaMasjid pic.twitter.com/K4QGGpzlMK
