TIRUCHY: With a month to go to meet the deadline, shops and commercial establishments are on an overdrive to install name boards that feature Tamil prominently.
As part of a renewed drive, the Labour Department has fixed May 15 as deadline for traders to install Tamil name boards and signage, failing which penalties would be levied. The decision, officials said, is to promote Tamil as the primary language in public spaces, amid the debate on the language policy.
“Tamil Nadu Shops and Establishments Rules mandate Tamil as the primary language. Our intention is to ensure the language gets its due prominence. We’ve already sensitised shopkeepers and will continue inspections regularly,” said V Thangaraj, Assistant Commissioner, Labour Department.
According to the Tamil Nadu Shops and Establishments Rules, signboards must follow a 5:3:2 ratio, with Tamil first, followed by English and other languages. However, enforcement has been inconsistent since GO 1541 (1983-84), prompting the fresh directive.
Since July 2024, over 250 shops have been fined Rs 2,000 each and in the past few weeks 300 more have been served notices. Tiruchy has around 7,000 registered shops, ranging from tea stalls, hotels, saloons, food joints to branded franchises, under the Act.
A coordination meeting involving officials of Labour Department, Tamil Development Department, Tiruchy Corporation, and other civic bodies was held last week to ramp up awareness and inspections.
Retailers, especially national and international franchises, said they were only now learning of the enforcement. “We’ve informed our regional team and the changes will be made soon. We respect local sentiments,” said a manager of a menswear outlet in Thillai Nagar. The owner of a a premium franchise ice cream shop in KK Nagar said they are working with vendors to redesign boards across Tamil Nadu.
Some stores have already complied. A branded outlet in Thiruverumbur now displays equally sized Tamil and English signboards. “We followed similar policies in Karnataka and Maharashtra, so it made sense to do it here too,” said a company executive.
Ve Govindarajalu, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peramaippu, welcomed the move but urged flexibility. “Replacing a board costs Rs 5,000-10,000. Amid online competition, many small shops are financially strained.”
K. Suresh, CPI councillor and trade unionist, said the rule should be implemented strictly and officials must conduct inspections on a regular basis . He also said this should apply to private and government hospitals. Labour Department officials, however, said the rule does not apply to schools and hospitals.