The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) plans to add Urdu to the signboards along the Srinagar-Leh National Highway (NH-1), alongside English and Hindi. This decision comes after a Right to Information (RTI) request revealed that the current signboards only have English and Hindi. The changes are expected to be made in the upcoming working season, starting in March.
According to the RTI response from Project Beacon, the signboards in their area are currently only in English and Hindi. They have promised to fix this by adding Urdu, which is the official language of Jammu and Kashmir.
“The signboards along NH-1 are currently written in English and Hindi,” said the Public Information Officer (PIO) of Beacon. “We will correct this to include Urdu as well.”
This decision follows concerns from local activists and residents who pointed out that Urdu was missing from the signs. Syed Adil, who filed the RTI request, was surprised that Urdu was not included, given its official status in the region. The issue gained attention after photos of the signboards were shared online, leading to criticism and calls for change.
Project Beacon has confirmed that all future signboards will follow this multilingual format. This change aligns with guidelines that stress the importance of having signs in more than one language for better understanding and safety.
By adding Urdu, the BRO aims to improve communication for local drivers and make the signs more inclusive, reflecting the diverse languages spoken in the area. This initiative is expected to help travelers navigate the important highway more easily.
