ITANAGAR, Mar  31:  Responding to social media reactions regarding the hoarding put up by the Itanagar Municipal Corporation (IMC) at the Itanagar Underpass with the tagline ‘Hindi Capital of Northeast’, Mayor Tame Phassang today told the media that the tagline is not intended to hurt the sentiments of locals or to disrespect any local dialect but rather to show affection for the Hindi language which is spoken mostly in Arunachal in comparison to other Northeastern states.

The IMC said that it welcomes positive criticism that will be beneficial for the capital region and state as a whole but will not endorse an attempt to impose any kind of illogical or unprincipled thought from any corner.

 "It is a hard fact that  Hindi is used by 90% of the state population for easy communication. From a remote village to the State Assembly, Hindi is used for debate, discussion as well as for designing our state’s future,"  the Mayor stated.

He further added that the IMC is not against any language and encourages people to preserve local dialects.

"Assam has Assamese, Nagaland has Nagamese as a common language but   Arunachal Pradesh has at least  25 major tribes and more than 100 sub-tribes, so it is difficult to use a particular language/dialect. We are neither endorsing Hindi nor it is a national language but when most of the people communicate in Hindi even in the country, then what is wrong in writing “Hindi Capital of Northeast” when our own people use it for communication," the Mayor said.

He further informed that, if anyone comes with legal as well as strong logical reason, the IMC will definitely remove it the tagline. "Let's fight against garbage, drug menace, corruption, but not on language, religion or tribe," said the Mayor.

When asked about the ranking of the state capital in the Swachh Survekshan Survey, the Mayor informed that Itanagar is no more on the list of dirtiest cities,  but is on the improving list. We are getting less marks due to the absence of Solid Waste Management Plants, Sewage Treatment Plants, and modern Abattoir house. All these facilities are under construction and with the cooperation of the public, Itanagar will soon get a good result on cleanliness, he stated.