Businesses face new headache as cost of signages sky-rocket

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Businesses at Brigade road looking to install Kannada name boards face another headache - exorbitant prices being quoted by vendors of the same.

This comes after the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) realeased an order that requires commercial establishments to use Kannada prominently on their name boards.

A vendor who works for a computer shop on the Brigade Road, alleged that these vendors have tripled the price rates.

“Usually, Rs. 50 - 70 is charged per square feet for a Kannada hoarding. However, citing increase, the vendors charge around Rs. 200 per square feet,” he said.

As businesses heed to this rule, the vendor pointed out on the lack of clarity, and the basis of enforcement.

“This issue is at the High Court now, and while its hearing is on February 29, the deadline to implement this order is also on the same day,” he added.

Vijay, who works at a premium cafe here also added that the Kannada hoardings have cost them dearly.

Shops on Church Street have voluntarily covered the English hoarding, supposedly as a move to avoid backlash.

Last year on December, in a move to enforce Kannada signages in commercial shops, pro-Kannada activists vandalised English and Hindi hoardings in prominent areas of the Central Business District (CBD) of Bengaluru.