Tiruchi Collector checks the electronic voting machines

Collector M.Pradeep Kumar inspecting the electronic voting machines stored in Tiruchi on Monday.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Penal action will be initiated against shops and commercial establishments which fail to comply with the directive to install name boards in Tamil, Collector M. Pradeep Kumar said on Monday.

We held a meeting with the traders and they were clearly briefed on the directive to install name boards in Tamil. They can have name boards both in Tamil and English, but the Tamil letters should be bigger. Many traders have complied with the directive and some have not. Those who had not complied were imposed fine and given 10 days time to comply. If they fail to do so, penal action will be initiated,” Mr. Pradeep Kumar said in a brief interaction with reporters here.

Mr. Pradeep Kumar said local bodies had been instructed to remove flag posts erected on the roadsides and claimed that nearly 90% of them had been removed. The remaining would also be cleared soon, he said.

Earlier, the Collector inspected the electronic voting machines kept in the strong room in the Collectorate complex in the presence of representatives of recognised political parties as part of a routine exercise. All the 8,637 ballot units, 3,449 control units and 3,990 VVPAT devices were found to be intact during the inspection, he said.