Trilingual name plates in railway stations are as per Act, Southern Railway says

B. Guganesan, Chief Public Relations Officer, Southern Railway said name plates are written in Tamil, Hindi and English at all stations as mandated by The Official Languages Act, 1963

Southern Railway has clarified that names of the railway stations and other name plates in Central government offices are written in three languages -- Tamil, Hindi and English -- as mandated by The Official Languages Act, 1963.

Responding to a report Hindi in name boards at Erode Railway station condemned , published in these columns on February 16, B. Guganesan, Chief Public Relations Officer, Southern Railway, said the trilingual name boards were installed as per the Act.

The report was based on a letter addressed to Railway Minister by K.N. Basha, vice-president of the Erode District Congress Minority Wing and former member of the Zonal Railway User’s Consultative Committee. He had, among other things, objected to Hindi being used in ‘No Parking’ boards on the station premises.

Mr Guganesan said that the name plates are written in Tamil, Hindi and English at the station name board and office name boards in Erode Railway station and in the rest of Tamil Nadu as per the Official Languages Act.

In view of the General Manager’s annual inspection, the name boards were repainted and some were replaced with new boards. Hence, to say that Hindi was added is incorrect, he said.