Telugu-only enumeration forms for SIR likely to stir a hornet’s nest

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A voter looks at a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) help desk banner at a GHMC office in Hyderabad. | Photo Credit: File Photo

Language is set to emerge as a major sticking point in the implementation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls within the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits, as election authorities prepare for the massive nationwide exercise to clean up and update voter lists from the ground up.

As per Election Commission of India directives, the enumeration forms to be distributed from June 25 will be printed in Telugu across Telangana, understandably to facilitate easy comprehension.

However, the one-language approach may pose difficulties in Hyderabad, one of India’s most linguistically diverse urban centres. In Hyderabad district, which forms the core of the GHMC area, Telugu speakers account for only about 46% of the population, according to Census 2011 data. Urdu speakers make up nearly 43% while sizeable sections of residents speak Hindi, Marathi, Kannada and several other languages as their mother tongue.

With the exponential growth of Information Technology and related sectors since the last Census, there has been a population influx from several States, which has drastically changed the cultural composition of the city. Besides, several native Telugu speakers from the younger generations are unable to read and write in Telugu due to the language not being part of their academics.

Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi had already flagged the issue of Telugu being the language of enumeration several days ago in a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer, seeking for the form to be printed in English and Urdu as well.

A highly placed official, on the condition of anonymity, informed that a letter has already been addressed a week ago to the Election Commission of India requesting for the forms to be printed in English too. However, there has not been any response so far.

Meanwhile, printing of the enumeration forms in Telugu ha