Bangladesh to adopt Bengali language for official govt use

Bangladesh today ordered all government offices to use the Bengali language including in the display of signboards, nameplates and vehicle number plates, in accordance with a court order.
The Ministry of Public Administration has told all government offices to implement within 15 days the high court's directive on introducing Bengali in all spheres.
A High Court bench on February 17 had ordered the writing of all signboards, nameplates and vehicles number plates in Bengali.
Foreign embassies and entities were, however, exempted.
The court had issued the order on a petition filed by one Yunus Ali Akhand, bdnews24.Com reported.
The court also ordered a halt to the use of mixed languages - Bengali and English - in the print and electronic media.

The defendants had been asked to implement the order within a month.

As the order has not been carried out within that time limit, the petitioner filed for contempt of court against the defendants on April 6.
The bench on April 29 directed authorities to implement its order on the use of Bengali and report back by May 15.
Public administration secretary Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury said government offices had been told to implement the court order within 15 days.
Ministries, departments and all offices under them have been asked to report progress within that time, he said.
"All ministries will have to report on their progress within 15 days to the Ministry of Public Administration. If anybody has any problem in implementing the order, they will have to inform us as well," Chowdhury said.

The exercise will be reviewed after 15 days, he said.
He said private offices, too, would be asked to switch to Bengali.
The information secretary has also been asked to use Bengali in mass media, Chowdhury said.