Language Activists may demolish Handloom Expo Entrance if display is not made in Oriya

By Laxmi Prasad Pattanayak

Orissa Official Language Act is being blatantly contravened. Official programs are projected in English instead of Oriya.

State owned Bayanika repeated this mistake in organizing National Handloom Expo-2016 on the Exhibition Ground, Bhubaneswar. Its entrance gate carried its title in English, only English.

Language activists decided to protest.

ORISSA MATTERS chief Subhas Chandra Pattanayak, Subartta editor Pradyumna Satpathy, columnist Tusarkanta Satapathy and chief executive of Shabdasparsha Pabitra Maharatha served a notice in person to the Labour Commissioner Ms. Rupa Mishra IAS this forenoon expressing their protests against blatant disrespect to Oriya language in official programs. She assured that the wrong shall be removed.

In the evening, Sri Tusarkanta Satpathy visited the site and found that the gate was standing intact as before without any change.

The activists decided to meet the expo manager to ascertain if the Labor Commissioner had issued any instruction. Accordingly, convener of Oriya Bhasa Sangram Samiti poet Sankarshan Parida and Sri Tusarkanta Satpathy met the manager. He confirmed that the LC had given instruction to change the projection into Oriya instead of English with immediate effect and they were going to change the display from English to Oriya by end of the night.

If it is not done, the activists shall demolish the gate besides offering protest Dharana in the office of the LC.