Write names of shops in Tamil on boards: CM Stalin to traders

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday nudged shops and commercial establishments in the state to ensure that Tamil, the local language, finds a prominent place in their name boards.

In his speech at the meeting of the Traders Welfare Board, Stalin also said the government has decided to increase the lease period of shops owned by urban local bodies across the state to 12 years from the existing nine years with effect from August 1, 2024.

“Vikaramaraja, a traders’ association leader, told me recently that he was going to take steps to ensure that names of the shops and commercial establishments are written in Tamil on their boards. The traders should take the initiative to ensure that such things take place without any prodding from the government,” Stalin said.

“Nobody should say that they can’t find Tamil on the streets of Tamil Nadu. I urge you to display names of commercial establishments and shops in Tamil,” the Chief Minister added.

Names of shops on their boards in local language is a must but many establishments don’t follow it by writing the name only in English. This is not unique to Tamil Nadu but to many states in southern India, including Karnataka, and elsewhere.

He also said Tamil Nadu was a peaceful state for shops and commercial establishments to conduct their businesses and assured cooperation from the administration side.

The Chief Minister also said the traders in Tamil Nadu can approach the state government directly if they have encountered any problems in day-to-today functioning.

“You can raise your concerns either with me or with my ministerial colleagues. There are no brokers between us [government and the traders] and there should not be any. I nudge traders to keep in mind they are here not just to make profits but also provide service,” he added.