On Wednesday, the SRCD (Southern Railway Chennai Division) issued a circular letter addressed to Section Controllers, Station Staff, Traffic Inspectors and Station Masters of the Chennai division, stating that the language of communication between the Divisional Control Office and the Station Masters should be either be in English or Hindi and use of any regional language must be avoided to prevent delivery of misinformation of instructions.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supporters staged a protest over the circulation of the letter that, according to them, hurt the sentiments of the locals. The Southern Railways eventually withdrew the circular on Friday, June 14, 2019. A spokesperson of the Southern Railways stated, “The circular has been withdrawn. Orders will be issued shortly.”
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DMK chief M.K Stalin termed the circular ‘arrogant’. At an interview with The Times of India, he accused the railways of bullying their officials. He initiated a request to the Centre asking them to intervene and change the decision to impose hindi as the official language of communication in the Southern zone, threatening to put a ‘full-stop’ to hindi in the state.
Though, in the letter railway Chief Transportation Planning Manager (CTPM) R Siva said; ‘The objective’ for the decision was to improve the communication between the Control Office and the Station Masters.
Earlier this month, a controversy rose over the draft release of the National Educational Policy stating compulsory learning of hindi in non-hindi speaking states. DMK, agreed to the decision and MDMK (Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) leader warned the centre of a “language war”.
After the protests on the issue of imposition of Hindi in educational spheres by political leaders mainly in South India, the draft educational policy was improved. After which imposition of the national language has not been an issue in middle schools.
Keeping in mind the above, the Circular stating the use of Hindi and English as the only modes of official communication has been withdrawn by the Southern Railways following the protests, on Friday June 7, 2019.