THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Minister K Radhakrishnan on Tuesday issued an order dropping the word ‘colony’ from all official documents; in a bid to undo the untouchability and social stigma faced by a certain section of people. After giving assent to annul the word from the official records, the minister handed over his resignation letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
In rural areas, the word ‘colony is mostly used the describe hamlets where scheduled caste people live. The suffix ‘colony’ is feared to bring a sense of inferiority complex among the residents. Some residents are also subjected to insult and abuse on cyber platforms due to this suffix. The minister said that all colonies would be rechristened by taking suggestions from the people.
The use of this word will be hereafter stopped in any of the government records or forums. As of now, the word colony will be replaced with ‘Nagar’. In the order, the authorities are warned to not name places after any famous personalities.
K Radhakrishnan submitted his resignation at Cliff House around 3:00 am. The resignation comes after Radhakrishnan won the LS polls from Alathur by a slender margin. The minister expressed satisfaction for being able to work hard for the people during his tenure as a minister.
