IRCTC promoting Hindi via its ticket booking website: TN rail users assn

An association of railway users has alleged that the new IRCTC website was imposing Hindi on non-Hindi speaking population of Tamil Nadu, accusing the catering and tourism arm of Indian Railways of promoting Hindi through its ticket booking portal.

In a letter addressed to IRCTC as well as to the Railway Minister's office, the Kanyakumari District Railway Users' Association (KKDRUA) has alleged that the IRCTC's new website www.irctc.co.in for Indian railway ticket reservation is available in only two versions - Hindi and English and no other regional languages.

"We found a lot of Hindi imposition in your IRCTC English version web site service. If we type travel source and destination it is coming Hindi first then English. Already full Hindi version website is available. Why impose Hindi script in English version website? The Hindi speaking people will book the ticket from Hindi version website," the organisation president P Edward Jeni wrote in his letter.

Jeni further said the Official Language Act, 1976 was not applicable to Tamil Nadu and the people of the state neither read, write or speak Hindi.

"May I request you to ensure that Hindi is not imposed on non-Hindi speaking Indians. You have got facility from the Ministry of Railways only for ticket reservation purpose. Your job is not to promote the Hindi language.

"Give respect to native people by including their native language in your products. Imposing Hindi is against linguistic equality and consumer rights. We hope you will respect our sentiments and stop imposing Hindi on non-Hindi natives," Jeni said, demanding that all Hindi texts in the English version of IRCTC website be removed and create Tamil version of IRCTC website for the benefit of the eight crore people of Tamil Nadu.

KKDRUA has earlier pushed successfully for issuing of unreserved tickets in Tamil language just a couple of months ago.