Kolkata Municipal Corporation directs all business establishments to include Bengali sign boards, hoarding before Sept 30

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation on Sunday once again issued directives to the city's business and commercial establishments, urging them to include c, and signage to promote linguistic authority and ensure inclusivity.

A similar circular was issued on December 30 last year. However, the new circular, dated August 30, states that all commercial establishments should comply with the order by September 30.

"It is hereby reiterated that all such signage must have Bengali displayed at the top in a prominent size in addition to other languages, if any, in the public interest," the circular reads.

Flouting the rule will invite "unwanted trouble" for them, an official told TOI.

Mayor Firhad Hakim had come down harshly on a section of traders and owners of commercial establishments for delaying in putting up Bengali signboards despite receiving notices from the civic body at a session at the KMC House in early August.

"Despite receiving notices from the KMC trade licence department, many commercial establishments are yet to put up signboards written in Bengali. There is no objection to having signboards written in other languages, but we have made it mandatory to use Bengali in signboards," Hakim had said.

"They also should have signboards written in Bengali so that people can read them. We will write to central govt agencies, such as railway, port, and income tax, for having signboards written in Bengali," he said.