Trade licenses for shops and merchant establishments in Kolkata to be cancelled if Bengali not used on signboards

Kolkata, Sep 13 (IANS) The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will cancel the trade license of shops and merchant establishments in areas under its jurisdiction if such establishment owners does not abide by the corporation's directive of using Bengali language on the signboards, the Corporation Mayor and the West Bengal Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister, Firhad Hakim told media persons on Saturday.

"Since the festival days will be starting soon by the end of this month, we will not be enforcing this directive immediately. But this directive will be enforced strictly after the end of the festive season. Our officers will be regularly monitoring whether the shops and merchant establishment owners following this directive are diligently following it or not. In case of habitual defaulters, their trade licenses might even get cancelled," Hakim said.

Recently, there have been allegations of harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers from West Bengal in certain BJP-ruled states.

Trinamool Congress, as directed by the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, has started a continuous protest in the state on this issue.

Now, KMC's stress on mandatory use of the Bengali language on a signboard is just an expectation of that protest movement by the ruling Trinamool Congress on the issue.

A senior KMC official said that a dedicated team of the corporation staff and officials will conduct surprise patrolling throughout the area under the corporation's jurisdiction and monitor whether the directive on this count is followed diligently or not.

"The owners of the shops and merchant establishments might also use any other language of his or her choice at the signboard. But the use of Bengali will be a must, and the use will be at the top of the signboard only. No one should consider this initiative as an attempt to enforce Bengali on non-Bengali people. Bengali is in the rhythm of the city. Therefore, our goal is to ensure the dignity of Bengal everywhere, from government to private sector," the KMC official added.

--IANS

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