Odia signboards: Around 100 trading firms face court cases for violating laws

In a strong enforcement of Odisha’s official language policy, legal proceedings have been initiated against nearly 100 business establishments for not displaying their signboards in Odia, Labour Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia informed on Tuesday.

Also Read: Odia signboards mandatory: Check rebates and penalties for establishments

This move follows inspections of 2,852 establishments during the current financial year.

Out of these, 1,606 trading firms were found to have not complied with the mandatory use of Odia language on signboards. Consequently, ‘show-cause’ notices have been served to the owners of these business establishments. The Labour Minister stated this in the State Legislative Assembly while responding to a question by BJD MLA Prasanna Acharya.

Khordha district recorded the highest number of legal cases for the violations, with 38 cases registered. Besides, show cause notices have been sent to 237 establishments in Jharsuguda and 201 in Khordha alone.

The State government has intensified monitoring efforts to ensure that businesses honour the linguistic heritage of Odisha, emphasising that using Odia language in signboards is not just a formality but a legal necessity.

Clause 4 of the Odisha Shops & Commercial Establishments Act, 1956, was amended in 2018 to ensure the display of signboards in the Odia language by different shops and commercial establishments across the State. At that time, this amendment was published vide Odisha government gazette notification No 824, dated May 30, 2018.

As per the clause, display of the signboard in the Odia language is mandatory.

“During the observance of Odia Pakhya (Odia fortnight) held between April 1-15, Odisha Labour & ESI (Employees’ State Insurance) department had started an awareness campaign to ensure the display of Odia signboards,” the Minister expressed in his reply.