THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Human Rights Commission has directed local bodies and PWD to provide for multi-language sign boards, complete with distance between places, in all rural and urban roads constructed or renovated using public funds.
The Commission wants the Local Self Government Department to evolve the necessary guidelines for the purpose. The order has come in response to a public interest petition filed by advocate S. Joshi.
In his petition, Joshi had complained that the absence of signboards at busy junctions was leading people to take wrong turns, causing both waste of time and money. “The right to know the path to be taken is as important as the freedom to travel,” the Commission noted in its order.
The Commission suggested that the signboards erected on grama and block panchayat roads leading to the main district and state-level roads should be given a unique colour.
The Commission noted that the hundreds of vehicles reaching the remotest villages in the state include those from other states as well as those of tourists. “In fact those coming from other districts, as well as non-resident Malayalis returning to their lands after years, would be perplexed by the increase in the number of roads,” the order said.
“But no one, except for the locals, has any idea about the new roads that have been laid to make travel faster,” it added. The order said that it was a fact that there were no proper signages even in important district roads.
“Even those that have been planted are not adequately maintained,” it said. Signages pointing to railway stations, airports and pilgrimage centres should be in multiple languages. “In this case, the State should follow the national model,” the order said.
A report filed by the Tourism Department states that as many as 1,720 boards to all tourist centres in the state had already been set up by NATPAC. PWD is yet to furnish its report.
