Belgaum: The Kannada Development Authority Act, 1994, and the Official Language Act, 1963 and 1981, appear to be in confrontation with one another with respect to certain provisions.

Chairman of the KDA Siddalingaiah failed to give a clear answer when asked how the Government or the KDA could implement the Official Language Policy of the State Government with respect to the Official Language Act, 1963 and 1981, in Belgaum which shares borders with Maharashtra and is dominated by Marathi-speaking people in certain pockets.

The Official Language Act, 1963 and 1981, states that in areas where linguistic minorities constitute 15 per cent or more of the local population, arrangements have to be made to translate government circulars, orders, extracts and land records into the minority language. In the context of Belgaum, the Marathi-speaking population is 32 per cent. Even the Karnataka High Court had ordered the implementation of the Act and the Government in March 2004 had issued orders directing the authorities concerned to issue official circulars, notifications, land records, orders and extracts in minority languages in areas where the minority population was more than 15 per cent. Subsequentl

y, the district administration requested the Government to provide additional hands to enable it to implement the provisions of the Act in "letter and spirit".

However, the KDA is concerned with the implementation of the State's official language policy with Kannada as the administrative language and has taken steps to promote Kannada all over the State and in boundary areas in particular.

As elsewhere in the State, the KDA head, including the present incumbent, have been issuing notices to the authorities for not implementing the Official Language Policy in Belgaum properly. In fact, coercion of this kind is in direct confrontation with the Official Language Act, which provides adequate defence for the authorities issuing official releases in Marathi as far as Belgaum, Khanapur or Nipani taluks are concerned.

Asked to make the KDA's stand clear on the issue at a press conference here on Saturday, Dr. Siddalingaiah said only a clear national policy on languages could provide a solution to such issues.

Earlier, he reviewed progress of the implementation of Kannada in the administration with the heads of Government departments and directed Deputy Commissioner M.E. Shivalingmurthy to issue show cause notices to heads of some departments for not attending the meeting. Poet and KDA member Shashikala V. and Superintendent of Police Hemant Nimbalkar were present.

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