Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SN/SP)

Udupi, Mar 6: Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) staged a protest against the deliberate negligence on the part of establishments to display Kannada name boards, by defacing the English boards displayed in front of their shops on Thursday March 5.

Earlier, the Kannada Development Authority had made it mandatory to display Kannada name boards prominently in front of all offices and establishments functioning in the state and threatened with penalties and cancellation of licences in case of failure to comply with this stipulation. The local unit of KRV had set another deadline, after several shops and establishments in the town failed to comply with the said order. The KRV symbolically expressed the outrage of pro-Kannada activists against the apathy shown by these establishments, by defacing several English name boards.

KRV under the guidance of Narayana Gowda Bana, conducted this operation. KRV district president Satish Kalmadi has warned that the activists will intesify their protest and blacken all the boards which continue to flout the above stipulation, and do not take remedial steps to set the things right within a week from now.

The Bus Owners Association, Taxi men’s Association, Rickshaw Union, Hotel Owners Association and Karnataka Rakshana Vedike had previously submitted a memorandum to the district administration, urging it to make display of Kannada name boards compulsory in the city before March 5.  Several business houses and shops did not heed to the warnings, the Vedike said. The activists defaced English name plates in the shops located inside the KSRTC bus stand here and some private buses parked in the private bus stand.

Satish Kumar Kalmadi, district president, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, Mamata Kadiyali, president, women’s division, Gopal Shetty Manipal, Louis Manipal, Surendra Navunda, Srinivas Karkala, Anuradha, Devaki, Anuradha Barkoor and Ratna participated in the operation.