Darjeeling, July 13 (Siliguri Chronicle) – The youth wing of the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatrantrik Morcha (BGPM) has given shops and businesses in the Darjeeling hills a one-month deadline to display signboards in Nepali, along with any other language they use.
The move follows a call made by BGPM president and Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) chief executive Anit Thapa on April 14, urging the use of Nepali on commercial signage to promote and preserve the local language.
The BGPM instructed its youth wing to ensure that shops and business establishments comply with the directive.
“We find that many establishments have not yet written their signboards in Nepali. It is important to preserve our language and we request that all signboards be written in the Nepali language by August 11,” said a BGPM youth leader.
The youth leader acknowledged that the party had lost momentum after the initial push.
“We had started the campaign from May and organised meetings with various hotels and business organisations, apprising them of the development,” said the youth leader.
“However, since the peak tourism season had started, many were busy with the trade and we did not want to disturb them then. Now is the right time to change the signboards,” the leader said.
