Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Department has directed all district collectors to ensure that old English spellings of place names are replaced on government signboards within seven days.
The fresh instruction comes after some government offices and institutions were reportedly found continuing to display outdated spellings despite an earlier deadline for making the necessary changes.
Additional Chief Secretary of the department, Dr Aravind Padhee, has written to all district collectors, asking them to personally ensure implementation of the revised spellings across government offices, institutions and other official establishments in their respective districts.
Collectors Asked To Ensure Ground-Level Implementation
Under the latest directive, collectors have been made responsible for ensuring that the revised English spellings are implemented at the grassroots level.
Officials have been asked to identify government signboards that continue to carry the old versions and take immediate steps to replace them.
The instruction covers signboards displayed at government offices, institutions and other official establishments, with the objective of bringing uniformity to the use of officially revised place-name spellings across Odisha.
Earlier Deadline Had Already Been Set
The state government had previously instructed government offices and institutions to update their signboards using the revised spellings.
Government establishments had been given one month to complete the exercise, while private and non-government establishments were provided six months to make the required changes.
However, the continued presence of old spellings at some government offices prompted the Revenue and Disaster Management Department to issue another directive.
The latest order is intended to ensure that the implementation does not remain incomplete at the district and local levels.
Seven Days Given To Complete The Exercise
District collectors have now been directed to identify signboards where outdated spellings are still being used and arrange for their replacement.
The department has set a seven-day timeframe for completing the necessary action.
Collectors have also been asked to submit a compliance report to the department within the stipulated period, indicating the steps taken to implement the revised spellings.
Focus On Consistency In Official Records And Signage
The latest move seeks to ensure consistency in the way Odisha’s place names are represented in English across government establishments.
Uniform use of revised spellings on public signboards can also help avoid confusion among residents, visitors and officials, particularly where older English transliterations continue to appear alongside officially updated versions.
With district collectors now tasked with monitoring compliance, the state government is seeking to ensure that the revised spellings are implemented uniformly across Odisha rather than remaining limited to selected government departments or locations.
