Tamil Nadu engineers' body seeks revocation of official suspensions

The Association of Tamil Nadu Highway Engineers and the Tamil Nadu Highway Department Diploma Engineers Association have called on the state government to revoke the suspension of two officials. The engineers were suspended following the appearance of Hindi text alongside Tamil and English on a highway direction sign on State Highway 93 near Sathankulam in Thoothukudi.

The associations argue that there is no evidence the officials deliberately violated the state’s two-language policy or instructed contractors to include Hindi. They noted that the disputed signboard was not measured, recorded, or certified by the suspended assistant engineer or assistant divisional engineer.

Furthermore, the associations pointed out that while the road was renovated under the Central Road Infrastructure Fund (CRIF), the state government has not yet issued specific guidelines regarding which languages should be used on signage for projects funded by the central government. They contend that the suspension was issued without prior notice or a formal inquiry and urged the government to examine contractor records before assigning personal responsibility.