Agartala, Jan. 19: Tripura tribal welfare minister Aghore Debbarma has called for overall development of indigenous Kokborok language and its use in all official work. He expressed hope that the present controversy over script would be resolved soon.

Debbarma was speaking during a seminar at government-run Sukanta Academy auditorium on the occasion of 36th anniversary of recognition extended to Kokborok by the Left Front government on this very day in 1979.

He said the first State Language Act of Tripura passed in 1964 had designated only Bengali and English as the official languages of the state riding roughshod over the claims of Kokborok — a language of 30 per cent of the state’s indigenous population.

Debbarma said it was only when the Left Front government came to power in 1978 that the issue was taken up and on January 19, 1979, a gazette notification was issued making Kokborok an official language of the state for study by students belonging to indigenous community at the school level.

“Our stand is that the script most acceptable to the Kokborok speakers will be used but the ADC authorities are now trying to devise a new and original script by holding workshops and we believe a new script will emerge ending all controversies,” he said.

Debbarma also referred to the rich literature being composed by poets and authors in Kokborok language.

“Later, Assembly Speaker Sudhanwa Debbarma wrote the very first novel in Kokborok language Hachuk Khurio (In the lap of hills) which has earned critical appreciation. Kokborok poet Chandra Kanta Murasingh won Bhasha Samman award of Sahitya Akademi in 1996. He has also translated Rabindranath Tagore’s Gitanjali in Kokborok which will be published by Visva Bharati,” Debbarma said.