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Hindi Signboard on Sathankulam Highway Sparks New Controversy!
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News18•01-10-2026, 15:12
Hindi Signboard on Sathankulam Highway Sparks New Controversy!
- •Signboards with town names written in Hindi on the Sathankulam State Highway in Thoothukudi district have caused a stir.
- •New guide boards worth lakhs of rupees have been installed by the State Highways Department on the Sathankulam-Nazareth road.
- •Names of towns like Tirunelveli, Alwarthirunagari, Thoothukudi, and Tiruchendur are written in large Hindi letters on these boards.
- •Last year, Hindi letters on signboards on the Tirumayam-Manamadurai National Highway were painted over, causing a sensation.
- •The controversy arises as the Tamil Nadu government recently ordered commercial establishments to change names from English to Tamil.
Key Questions Answered
The State Highways Department installed new guide boards on the road from Sathankulam to Nazareth where town names such as Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi were prominently written in Hindi, sparking fresh local controversy.
Similar incidents occurred on national highways and railway stations where individuals applied black paint or deleted Hindi letters on newly installed signboards to protest against linguistic centralism and Hindi imposition.
The Tamil Nadu government recently ordered various commercial establishments and shops to change their displayed names from English to Tamil.
