GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF SHIPPING, ROAD TRANSPORT & HIGHWAYS
(DEPTT. OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS)
Transport Bhawan,
1, Parliament Street,
New Delhi – 1100 001
NO. RW/NH-33044/27/2004-S&R(R) Dated the 24th December, 2004
To
1. Chief Secretaries/ Secretaries (PWD/ Roads) of all State Governments/
UTs dealing with National Highways and Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
2. Engineer-in-Chief/Chief Engineers of States/UTs dealing with National
Highways and Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
3. Director General (Border Roads), Seema Sadak Bhavan, Ring Road, New
Delhi – 110010.
4. Chairman, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), G-5&6, Sector-10,
Dwarka, New Delhi – 110045.
Sub: Use of language of kilometre stones and sign boards on National
Highways
Sir,
In supersession of the Ministry’s circular No. NH-III/P/24/76 dated
16.06.1981, following are the consolidated instructions on the language to be used
inscribing the kilometre stones an sign boards on National Highways for strict
compliance.
(I) Kilometre stones
(i) According to the revised standard on the subject, the place names should be
inscribed on these stones in different scripts in the following sequence.
Script/Language
Km No. Place to be shown
for place names
0 Local and Roman Terminal/ Starting station on top in Local language
(English) followed by kilometerage and then the name of
terminal/starting station will be followed in Roman
(English) and below this, the next important town in
local language followed by kilometerage in
symmetrical manner.
1 Hindi (Devnagri Next important town in Hindi on top and in local
Script) and Local language on bottom and in between kilometerage in
symmetrical manner.
2 Local language Next important in Hindi on top and in local language
on bottom and in between kilometerage in
symmetrical manner.
2
Script/Language
Km No. Place to be shown
for place names
3 Hindi (Devnagri Terminal Station in Hindi on top and in local language
Script) and Local on bottom and in between kilometerage in
symmetrical manner.
4 Local language Terminal Station followed by kilometerage
5 Local and Roman Terminal station on top in Local language followed by
(English) kilometerage and then the name of terminal station
will be followed in Roman (English) and below this,
the next important town in local language followed by
kilometerage in symmetrical manner.
6 Hindi (Devnagri Next important town in Hindi on top and in local
Script) and Local language on bottom and in between kilometerage in
symmetrical manner and so on, repeated in the same
order
(ii) Where local script happens to be same as Devnagri
(a) On ordinary kilometre stones, kilometre to the next important town and the
terminal station could be shown alternately in Devnagri (Hindi) and Roman
(English) instead of the order given above. In such case, the size of
letters, numerals and spacing etc. shall be followed as prescribed in
IRC:8-1980.
(b) On Zero and every fifth kilometre stones of bigger size, the local language
shall be replaced by Devnagri (Hindi).
(c) The numerals on kilometre stones shall in all cases to be written in
international form of Indian numerals i.e. 1, 2, 3 etc.
(iii) The size of ordinary kilometre stones and bigger kilometre stones shall be
followed as prescribed vide Plate Numbers 1 and 2 of IRC:8-1980 respectively.
(iv) On ordinary kilometre stones of small size, the size of letters and numerals shall
be as given below:
a) Height of letters for Place Name each in both the languages : 75mm
b) Height of numerals for Kilometerage : 100mm
c) Height of numerals for Route Numbers : 100mm
d) Top clearance : 30mm
e) Bottom clearance : 70mm
f) Spacing between lines :17.5mm
(v) On zero and every fifth kilometre stones of bigger size, the size of letters and
numerals shall be as given below:
a) Height of letters for Place Name each in both the languages : 75mm
b) Height of numerals for Kilometerage : 100mm
c) Height of numerals for Route Numbers : 100mm
d) Top clearance : 30mm
e) Bottom clearance : 70mm
f) Spacing between lines :42.5mm
(vi) All other dimensions shall be followed as per IRC:8-1980 guidelines.
3
(II) Advance information signs at approaches to junctions
(i) As regards advance information signs at approaches junctions, the
following procedure and guidelines may be followed:
(a) All boards should invariably be inscribed in Local language, Devnagri
(Hindi) and Roman (English) scripts. Where local script happens to
be same as Devnagri (Hindi), only Devnagri and Roman script may
be inscribed on the information sign boards.
(b) In a bilingual area on the border of two States, the inscription should
also be in the scripts of both the States languages if these are not
Devnagri.
(III) The State Govt. are requested to adopt the above policy for Km stones
and general information signs on State Highways also to avoid
inconvenience to local road users and domestic tourists.
2. It is requested that concerned Field Officers may be instructed to draw the
action plan and all the existing killometer stones and road signs are to be
re-inscribed latest by 31.03.2005 and compliance report sent to the
Ministry latest by 21.04.2005.
3. The expenditure on rewriting the Km stones and sign boards may be met out
from the M&R grants released from time to time.
4. The contents of this letter may be brought to the notice of all concerned officers
in your Department for strict compliance within the time frame.
Yours faithfully,
(S.S. NAHAR)
Superintending Engineer (S&R/T&T)
For Director General (Road Development) &
Special Secretary
Encl: As above
Copy to:
1. All Project Chief It is requested that the mater may please be
Engineers in the Ministry. pursued with the State PWDs so as to ensure the
2. All ROs/ELOs, M/o Road strict compliance within the target dates and report
Transport & Highways the progress of requisite information to the Ministry
within prescribed time limit.
3. All Technical officer of the Ministry
4. Secretary, Indian Roads Congress, Jamnagar House, New Delhi. He is requested
to make the necessary amendments to the IRC:8-1980 accordingly.
5. Director, NITHE, Noida.
(S.S. NAHAR)
Superintending Engineer (S&R/T&T)
For Director General (Road Development) &
Special Secretary
