Opposition is mounting within the Tamil Nadu Highways Department after Minister Aadhav Arjuna ordered the suspension of two officials over a highway guide signboard that included Hindi script.
The signboard was installed on the Sathankulam–Nazareth road in Thoothukudi district at a cost running into several lakhs. It displayed directions and distances to destinations including Tirunelveli, Azhwarthirunagari, Thoothukudi and Tiruchendur, with the place names shown in Tamil, English and Hindi.
Following complaints, Assistant Divisional Engineer Bhoominathan and Assistant Engineer Muthulakshmi were placed under suspension. The minister, in a social media post, said a departmental inquiry found negligence that led to a “three-language” board being erected against the state’s two-language policy; he added that the board was replaced immediately with a new one carrying only two languages, and that further inquiry is continuing.
However, office-bearers of a Highways Department engineers’ association argued that the road work was carried out with Central and State participation, with 80% funding through the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund. They said such projects require Hindi to be included on signboards under the applicable guidelines, and questioned whether officials should be punished for following those rules.
The association representatives described the suspension as an excessive penalty and urged the government to withdraw the order, warning that it could create uncertainty among officials about whether to adhere to existing regulations.
