THOOTHUKUDI: As part of the district police's sensitisation drives like 'Matrathai Thedi', District Collector Dr K Senthil Raj has appealed to all local bodies to pass resolutions to rename streets bearing caste names.
Matrathai Thedi is a social awareness programme initiated by Superintendent of Police L Balaji Saravanan with a view to casting away caste prejudices and communal hatred among the people. The district police have met 1,08,202 people as part of 3,459 Matrathai Thedi events so far. As a result of their efforts, the public has voluntarily removed caste symbols from 561 places across the district.
It was commonplace to find markings and posters of caste-related colour codes, symbols, remarks and identities on electricity poles, signage boards, overhead tanks, bus stops, hand pumps, transformers, bridges and name boards in rural areas. A senior police official said any desecration of this signage would trigger violent clashes among various groups. "Erasing these markings will not only help with eradicating casteism but also protect the public properties from damages and scribbling," he added.
Recently, Alantha village nattamais (village heads) Manimurugan, Chinnadurai, Sudalaimani and Saraswathi; Singathakurichi nattamais Perumal and Murugan; and Kasilingapuram Nattamais Viji Chinnadurai Pathran, and panchayat vice president Muthukrishnan, voluntarily took part in a drive to erase caste markers on public properties.
Similarly, the Mela Authoor panchayat passed resolutions to rename nine streets bearing caste names, during a grama sabha meeting attended by collector Senthil Raj on August 15. In a communication to all local bodies, the collector has appealed to authorities to rename streets and common utilities bearing caste names, after Tamil scholars, poets, or other luminaries. The district administration will take all necessary efforts to publish the new names in the government gazette soon, he said.