8 September, Monday The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has ordered all business organisations, commercial institutions, and shops across Kolkata to display signboards prominently in Bengali.
The notification published by KMC, says the State’s official language should be at the top of all hoardings, signboards, and signage prominently. This modification has to be completed by September 30. The new notification by the Municipal Commissioner recalls an earlier order, dated December 30, 2024, in which shops and institutions were “requested” to include Bengali on their signboards. It said,” KMC authority has decided that henceforth it is mandatory to write Bengali language on top of all the signboards/ signages/hoardings alongside any other languages. For this purpose, we also need to check and implement the same in all establishments of KMC (including KMC HQ, Borough Offices, KMC Health Centers, KMCP Schools).”
This development coincides with the Trinamool Congress trying to assert Bengali Asmita to counter the main opposition party in the State, with the recent attack on Bengali migrants in various parts of the country as an attack on Bengali Asmita. The Assembly passed a bill on attacks on Bengali migrants, where Bengali language and identity made a dramatic clash last week.
The Hindu reported, Senior Trinamool Congress leader and Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Firhad Hakim has appealed to the people to put sign boards in Bengali and said that it was not just a matter of language, but also a matter of cultural identity.
“The people of Kolkata and the entire Bengal should be able to feel the presence of their language everywhere,” said the Mayor and warned that the Corporation would not hesitate to cancel the licence of shops that refuse to use Bengali in the specific format.
Mala Roy, the chairperson of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, has recently emphasized that all work done in a municipal session, including questions and answers, should be in Bengali. Additionally, Ms. Roy, a member of parliament from Kolkata South, has specifically instructed the council members to only ask questions in Bengali.
