After pressing for the implementation of Kannada in Namma Metro, banks and civil service examinations, the Kannada Development Authority (KDA), on Tuesday, trained its guns on the departments of Tourism and Public Works.
Visiting the Tourism Department, KDA chairman S.G. Siddaramaiah, who found that promotional material and the website did not have Kannada, said the department was a representative of Karnataka’s culture and traditions.
“It should be showcasing the State’s culture, tradition and heritage to tourists, when they come here or when the department goes to other States or countries to promote tourism. But none of this is being done. Even in roadshows, there is no representation of any of this,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said.
He also pointed out that be it at the Kempegowda International Airport or at tourist destinations, there was no use of Kannada language. “When tourists arrive, they should be introduced to the language as well. In fact, even in the Vision Group that was formed for tourism, there was no representative for culture like there was for industry and finance. Tourism is not just a business; it is a culture-based enterprise,” he said.
The KDA’s visit to the Tourism Department also revealed that the website had remained non-functional for two years owing to lack of coordination between the department and the website creator. Department officials reportedly said the website creator had not handed over the password of the site.
Mr. Siddaramaiah said when the tourism department should keep pace with the world, it was ironical that it had a non-functional website. The department has been given a fortnight to set right the anomalies pointed out by the KDA.
Tenders in English
The KDA also pulled up the PWD for not using Kannada on its website or in its tenders. “Even in Kannada papers, the tenders are in English. Kannada is missing on the highways and in places where PWD takes up work. We have received complaints from the public about this and we are answerable to them, just as the PWD is answerable to us,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said.
He also said the KDA will continue to inspect Kannada implementation in various departments and make follow-up revisits to ensure that its directions are followed.
