Bengaluru: Close on the heels of announcements and digital displays in Hindi disappearing on Namma Metro in the face of protests by Kannada activists, the language has also vanished from the Mantri Square-Sampige Road Metro station's name board.
The station's name is now written only in Kannada and English and not Hindi.
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL)'s decision could lead to more bickering between those in favour of Hindi on Namma Metro and those opposing it as Mantri Square- Sampige Road Metro station caters to a large number of youth arriving from outside the city, who make a beeline for the Mantri Mall's attractions over the weekends.
While BMRCL officials are tightlipped about Hindi disappearing from the Metro station's name board, Kannada activists are claiming credit for it.
An activist, Dinesh Kumar says it is a victory for the sustained protest of the last few years by the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) led by Mr TA Narayana Gowda.
“We started our protest in 2011 against use of Hindi on Namma Metro. And now we have succeeded,” he said jubilantly. BMRCL staff point out that it has already withdrawn Hindi digital displays and announcements on board the trains.
Meanwhile, some believe that the absence of Hindi on Namma Metro could make life difficult for the poor, who have migrated to the city from northern states in search of work.
“Educated non- Kannadigas can understand English, but what about the poor labourers, who use the Metro in huge number to reach railway stations at Yeshwantpur and Majestic to travel home to states in the north?” asked an activist.
