CHENNAI: Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday announced that the term ‘colony’, long associated with untouchability and caste-based discrimination, would be removed from government records and public usage.
Making the announcement in the Assembly while replying to the demands for grants for the police department, the CM said the word had historically been used as a euphemism to label and degrade indigenous and marginalised communities and their habitations. Official sources said a detailed order would be issued shortly to outline the procedure for implementing the directive across departments and local bodies.
The move echoes a similar order issued nearly five decades ago. On October 3, 1978, to mark the birth centenary of social reformer Periyar E V Ramasamy, the government led by the then CM, M G Ramachandran, passed a G.O. to remove caste names from streets.
VCK seeks more respectful suffix in community names
The order directed all municipalities, town panchayats and village panchayats to adopt resolutions to that effect. However, enforcement has remained patchy over the years.
The CM also said that a committee headed by a retired HC judge would be formed to study the implications of the Supreme Court’s 2019 verdict and the issues that are likely to arise in the future in preparing the merit list for the state government’s recruitment process.
The CM said this in reference to the representation given by VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan and party MLA M Sinthanai Selvan, requesting reservation for SCs/STs in promotion. Welcoming the decision on ‘colony’, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) general secretary and MP D Ravikumar said the removal of the term had been a long-standing demand of the party. “A new G.O. should also be issued to remove caste references from educational institutions and hotels,” he said.
VCK also demands that the suffix “-n” (often used in caste contexts) in community names be replaced with the respectful “-r,” reflecting dignity and equality, Ravikumar said. Retired IAS officer Christudoss Gandhi recommended replacing the term ‘colony’ with ‘kudiyiruppu’ or ‘oor’, which denote residential areas in Tamil.