SHIVAMOGGA: The lack of Kannada display boards at the yet-to-be-inaugurated Shivamogga Airport has attracted the ire of Kannadigas. Even though the airport is being maintained by the state government and will be named after the national Kannada poet Kuvempu, the authorities have failed to put up the display boards in Kannada.
The greenfield Shivamogga airport is all set for inauguration on February 27 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Meanwhile, many people have objected to the absence of Kannada display boards on the airport premises. The display boards put up have instructions and information only in Hindi and English.
Kannada activist Rupesh Rajanna condemned the ‘Hindi imposition’.
“If they are allowed further, they will ensure that Kannada has no existence. It is Hindi everywhere. At the airport in Shivamogga, where pure Kannadigas reside, the boards are all in Hindi and English. Stop this imposition on Kannadigas,” he tweeted in Kannada.
While one tweeter user said, “The government should stop the imposition of Hindi”, another questioned why the boards are not in Kannada when the airport is being named after Kuvempu.
Many users commented on a video of the airport posted by MP B Y Raghavendra after noticing the absence of Kannada display boards. They urged the MP to ensure that the boards are put up in Kannada.
Deputy Commissioner Dr R Selvamani said the issue has been brought to his notice and assured that he will resolve it soon. “I will ask the officials concerned to ensure the display boards are in Kannada,” the DC added.