Southern rly agrees to withdraw ‘Hindi for communication’ circular

Following the uproar over its circular, which ordered control officers and station masters to avoid all regional languages, the Southern Railway on Friday (June 14), agreed to withdraw its circular.

The said circular dated June 12, made public on June 13, stated that the communication between the Divisional Control Office and Station Masters should be either in English or in Hindi and the usage of regional language should be restricted to prevent either sides not understanding what is being communicated.

It also added that, “The objective of the above exercise is to improve communication between the control office and the station masters”. Within hours, the circular went viral in the social media and received vehement opposition. Leaders of the various political parties condemned the decision saying that it was an attempt to impose Hindi on Tamil Nadu. Thereafter, the Southern Railway agreed to withdraw the circular.