Bengaluru News : Retailers condemn vandalism: Appeal to Chief Secretary for Protection
Bengaluru News : Retailers condemn vandalism: Appeal to Chief Secretary for Protection
Bengaluru: The Retailers Association of India (RAI) has written to Chief Secretary Rajneesh Goel seeking his ‘urgent intervention’ to stop any further acts of vandalism and violence against retail outlets. They further claimed that hearing a writ petition RAI filed in the High Court of Karnataka in 2019, the Court had granted a stay order on the 60% Kannada in signboards rule.
It is worthy to note that Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) members vandalized boards of business establishments in the city on Wednesday, December 27. KRV members took out a protest that turned violent, while protesting against business establishments, demanding that they put up Kannada name boards and hoardings and minimize the use of English ones. The demand escalated into a law-and-order problem, with the police detaining activists and arresting those involved in vandalism.
Gautam Jain, Director (Advocacy), RAI, stated in the letter that the incident has caused significant distress and fear among staff and customers, leading to concern for their safety and protection of assets. “While we fully acknowledge and respect the cultural sentiments of Karnataka and the importance of promoting the Kannada language, we would like to highlight that our member retailers have always been committed to honouring local culture and made efforts to comply with Kannada signage on name boards. It is important to note that all signages are displayed in both Kannada and English, with due prominence given to the Kannada language. There are instances that on some signages, the 60% requirement may not have been met,” Jain stated.
Meanwhile, Ramesh Chandra Lahoti, president of the Federation Of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said the federation follows rules set by the state government and BBMP. “With regard to displaying 60 per cent Kannada on boards, we request the government to give industries time till February and not to take any action,” Lahoti said.
Notably, the city’s civic body has set a February 28 deadline to implement the 60% Kannada in signboards rule.
