BENGALURU: With the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) becoming a thing of the past, paving way for the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) administration from today (Tuesday), Kannada organisations have taken objection to the name and demanded a Kannada name for the administration of Bengaluru city.
The demand comes from Kannada outfits in the backdrop of municipal bodies like Mumbai and Chennai giving preference to their state’s official and regional language. While Mumbai Civic body is named Brihanmumbai Mahanagar Palika, Chennai’s civic body is named ‘Perunagara Chennai Maanag-araatchi’.
While BBMP Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao said so far, no proposal for a Kannada name has been sent to the government, Purushottam Bilimale, Chairman of the Kannada Development Authority (KDA), dashed off a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over the Kannada name for the administrative body of Bengaluru, on Monday.
Earlier, the KDA had written to the government requesting the reservation of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts in five corporations for Kannadigas, as some areas have a majority of non-Kannadigas.
“The name Greater Bengaluru Authority is a word that mostly reflects the English language, and there is need to give Kannada touch (Kannadathana) to the name.
If a Kannada name is used, the language will not only get the respect it deserves, but the proposed authority will also have opportunities to become closer to Kannadigas, emotionally. In this regard, the government should seriously consider using an alternative Kannada word for the Greater Bengaluru Authority,” Bilimale stated in the letter to the CM.