Kannada speaking travels cannot purchase metro travel cards

The launch ceremony of smartcard had a few embarrassing moments for the Metro as chairman of Kannada Development Authority Mukhyamantri Chandru and Congress MLA NL Narendra Babu took Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation authorities to task for neglecting Kannada in their affairs, in the presence of chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda.

Chandru pointed to the Metro’s lack of concern for the local language and said that the online system to avail the metro travel card could be accessed only by those who were conversant with English. “Why this neglect for those not well versed with English? Kannadigas should also get the facility in their own language. The chief minister should immediately instruct metro authorities to make the service available in Kannada too,” he demanded.

The chief minister immediately admitted the lapse and assured that he had already instructed metro authorities to provide online metro card services in Kannada by Saturday.

Narendra Babu expressed his protest against the metro communication, hand books and other transactions being conducted mostly in English. He took serious objection to predominance of English in even the compering of the programme held at Vidhana Soudha. “Kannada has been rejected, the mother tongue of the people has been ignored,” he said.

The chief minister intervened to pacify the MLA and said that he had asked the metro authorities to ensure prime place for Kannada at the metro stations and its day to day affairs.