Ensure uniform use of revised English place names: State

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has asked all district collectors to ensure the uniform and consistent use of revised English spellings of place names in conformity with their Odia pronunciation across all government offices and institutions in their respective districts. Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue & Disaster Management Department, Arabinda Padhee, in a letter to all collectors on Saturday, directed them to undertake a comprehensive review of the nameplates and signboards of government offices and institutions and ensure that the revised spellings approved by the government are used uniformly. As per the gazette notification issued by the State government on June 22, 2026, government offices and institutions were required to adopt the revised spellings on their signboards within one month. A period of six months was prescribed for private and non-government institutions. The decision has already been implemented successfully in several districts, the letter said.

Under the revised nomenclature, Angul is to be written as Anugola, Balasore as Baleshwar, Kendrapara as Kendrapada and Cuttack as Kataka. These revised spellings are being progressively adopted across government establishments.

However, the State government has observed that some government offices are still using old English spellings on their signboards. The collectors have therefore been directed to ensure that spellings such as Jeypore and Soro are replaced by the government-approved spellings Jayapur and Sora, respectively.

The department has emphasised that maintaining consistency and uniformity in official place names is essential for effective implementation of the State Cabinet decision. Continued use of old spellings on government signboards may result in inconsistencies in official nomenclature and dilute the objective of the decision.

Accordingly, collectors have been instructed to personally review the status of implementation in all government offices, institutions and other establishments in their respective districts and ensure the use of the revised English spellings in all official signboards and nameplates.

The collectors have also been advised to facilitate and encourage private and non-government institutions to adopt the revised spellings within the stipulated time-frame and ensure their wider use.

The department has accorded top priority to the implementation of the decision. All collectors have been directed to take necessary action and submit a compliance report within one week indicating the status of implementation in their respective districts.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Hans India