Kolkata: After getting the classical language tag, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is mulling over making the language mandatory. A circular on the same would be issued soon, mayor Firhad Hakim said on Saturday.
All billboards, signage of hotels and private firms and highrises across the city will mandatorily carry Bengali letters. The Uttaran or slum areas maintained by the KMC will get signboards in the vernacular language.
Any billboard in other languages will have to carry a Bengali version of the same. All concerned will be communicated over the matter soon.
Biswarup Dey, councillor of Ward No. 48, had tabled the proposal in the monthly meeting of the corporation. He proposed to turn all signboards in public and private offices to Bengali and the corporation should publish all notifications, letters and documents in Bengali. He vouched for a pioneering role by KMC to take the classical language forward among the masses.
Thanking Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for getting the accordation, Hakim accepted Dey's proposal and assured of issuing directives on it soon.
"We are very proud. The CM had repeatedly written to the centre to accord the classical tag to one of the pristine languages of the country. On my recent visit to Uttarakhand, I saw all the billboards carrying the local language. Maybe Kolkata took longer to get over the colonial hangover as most of the signage carries English. I have instructed to use Bengali on all boards of the corporation and made it a must for Uttaran. Coprotaes will also be requested to use Bengali in their advertisements".
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