Row over Malayalam tickets in Tamil Nadu Railway station

Activists in the southernmost district of Tamil Nadu, Kanyakumari, have raised strong protests against printing of railway tickets in Malayalam at Palliyadi railway station.

According to a complaint by Kanyakumari District Railway Users’ Association to railway authorities, it is noted that Palliyadi railway station issues tickets in Hindi, Malayalam, and English only.

The railway ticket printed in Malayalam, Hindi and English

“Tickets do not contain information in Tamil,” the complaint noted, alleging that Malayali railway officials were imposing the Malayalam language in Tamil Nadu state. Though Palliyadi is located in Tamil Nadu, as per railway network it falls within Trivandrum Division (Kerala).

The complaint also noted that for convenience of passengers the Railways is allowed to print the languages of two states at border stations.

In Kanyakumari, Kulitturai West is the border station and Parasala is the border station in Kerala, where according to existing rules the tickets could be printed in both Malayalam and Tamil.

“Palliyadi is 15 km away from the border station..(also) there is an intermediate station named Kulitturai between Palliyadi and Parasala. We hereby request you to remove Malayalam language tickets and issue Tamil language tickets in Palliyadi Railway station immediately,” the activists demanded.

They also demanded that the Tamil Nadu government should intervene and take necessary steps to remove Malayalam language tickets from Palliyadi Railway Station. – TWL Bureau