Mangaluru: The Karnataka Border Area Development Authority (BADA) has urged the Kerala govt to install Kannada signboards in border regions and also has sought attention and support to several other issues faced by residents of Kasaragod.A delegation led by the authority’s chairman Somanna Bevinamarad met the Kerala chief minister VD Satheesan recently highlighted several problems faced by Kannada speakers in Kasaragod, Kerala that borders Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu in Karnataka.In a letter to the chief minister, Bevinamarad called for the installation of Kannada signboards across public infrastructure in Kasaragod alongside Malayalam and English, and demanded restoration of original Kannada place names on signboards.
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He also demanded the exclusion of Kasaragod district from the Malayalam Bhasha Bill-2025 keeping in mind that region having a minority linguistic area and stressed schools to be given freedom to teach in Kannada.On jobs, he said vacancies should reflect the district’s linguistic composition, alleging some officials reject Kannada applications citing inability to read the language. Highlighting the memorial of late poet Dr Manjeshwara Govinda Pai with a grand cultural hall functioning at Manjeshwara he urged for it to be made more functional by giving sufficient funds.Among other demands were inclusion of Kannada in Kerala’s e-district portal and Akshaya centres, printing of govt gazettes in Kannada, and inclusion of Kannada in ration cards and voter lists.The authority also called for appointment of Kannada teachers in Kannada medium schools, recruitment of officials and staff familiar with the local language in govt offices and hospitals, and implementation of recommendations made by Dr Naduvattom Gopalakrishnan Nair.Establishing Kannada medium anganawadis and providing Kannada learning kits were also proposed. Meanwhile, the authority also called for the creation of a special cell for linguistic minorities and holding quarterly review meetings. It also urged the construction of a new bridge between Beejadakatte and Kayimale Belinja in Badiadka and also called for the repair and maintenance of inter-state roads and bridges.The delegation also invited Kerala CM for the inauguration of the newly built Dr Kayyara Kinhanna Rai Kannada Bhavana in Kasaragod’s Badiyadka at a cost of Rs 2 crore. It noted that while the building is complete, the local panchayat needs to develop an approach road and provide basic amenities such as street lighting and water supply and also urged fixing a tentative inauguration date in coordination with the Karnataka CM.Border development authority secretary Prakash Mattihalli, Manjeshwara MLA AKM Ashraf and others were present.
