I thank you for your letter No.Hindi-99/RB1/8/7 dated 28.1.2000 regarding the use of Urdu in Railway Stations. Frankly I do not see why the Ministry of Railways should be guided in this matter by the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs. In any case, it is the State Governments and the State Legislatures which declare a language as second or third official language of the State.

However, the Census is a public document which clearly brings out the proportion of speakers of different languages, state-wise and district-wise. Since there are wide variations within a state, my plea to you, is that to facilitate the travelling public, all railway stations in a district, where at least 5 per cent people speak a Modern Indian Language, other than the principal language of the State, should have signboards in that language as well.

I request you to consider this suggestion.