JORHAT, Nov 2 - Asam Sahitya Sabha has suggested to the State Government that while granting trade license to shops and business establishments by the local authorities, a criteria of having the signboards of the applicants in Assamese or other languages of the State should be fulfilled.
Speaking to newspersons, the Asam Sahitya Sabha president Dr Kuladhar Saikia at the Chandrakanta Handiqui Bhawan, the central office of the Sabha, here on Sunday, disclosed that the premier literary organisation of the State, recently in a memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, had put forward a suggestion regarding having signboards of shops and private commercial establishments in Assamese or any other local language of Assam.
Saikia stated that the suggestion in the memorandum, urged the Government to insert a clause in the process of granting trade license to shops and commercial establishments.
He said that as per the proposed clause, an applicant seeking trade license from local authorities to open a shop/business establishment will have to submit a sample of the signboard to be installed in the proposed shop and the signboard should be in Assamese or any other language of the State.
The Sabha president said that the trade license should be granted only after the sample of the signboard was found eligible or acceptable by the local authorities that issues the license.
He said that the same condition should be also applied during renewal of trade licenses of shops and any other business establishments. Saikia said that the idea in this regard has been conceived after having discussions with a number of government officials.
Saikia, a former Director General of Assam Police, observed that if the said suggestion was accepted by the Government and a provision or a clause in the process of granting license was introduced, then a system will be in place to ensure that signboards were written in Assamese or any other languages of the State.
