60% Kannada in signboards has seen 98% implementation, says civic body

As the deadline for complying with the 60:40 rule for use of Kannada in signboards ended on Wednesday, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) claimed the rule has already seen a 98% implementation.

As per a survey conducted last December, the BBMP claimed to have identified 50,357 violations to the rule and of them, as of Tuesday evening 49,241 establishments had already changed their signboards and only 1,116 now remain. A senior BBMP official said they were confident of ensuring 100% implementation within 15 days.

It may be recalled that when the BBMP started to shut shops for noncompliance after the previous deadline of February 28, Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D.K. Shivakumar orally announced the extension of the deadline by two weeks.

According to the BBMP official there was no written order in this connection.

B. Sannerappa, State general secretary, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, which spearheaded the campaign in December 2023, said, “Many shops have covered the English name using plastic, cloth, and pasted a sticker bearing a Kannada name. This is just a temporary arrangement. The BBMP should ensure that the shops install new signboards”.

CITIES

SO

Poor

NOModerate

Good (Readings indicate average AQI)

SO2: Sulphur Dioxide. Shortterm exposure can harm the respiratory system, making breathing difficult. It can affect visibility by reacting with other air particles to form haze and stain culturally important objects such as statues and monuments.

NO2: Nitrogen Dioxide. Aggravates respiratory illness, causes haze to form by reacting with other air particles, causes acid rain, pollutes coastal waters.

CO: Carbon monoxide. High concentration in air reduces oxygen supply to critical organs like the heart and brain. At very high levels, it can cause dizziness, confusion, unconsciousness and even death.

PM2.5 & PM10: Particulate matter pollution can cause irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath, reduced lung function, irregular heartbeat, asthma attacks, heart attacks and premature death in people with heart or lung disease

FILE PHOTO A signboard of a business establishment being vandalised by an activist.