Street, village, building names only in official languages: Ministry

The Provincial Councils and Local Government Ministry yesterday issued instructions to Chief Secretaries and District Secretaries to refrain from naming streets, villages, buildings and other private or government establishments in any language other than Sinhala, Tamil and English.

Any one that violated the National Language Act by displaying a street, building or road in a language other than Sinhala, Tamil or English would be charged in the SC

Subject Minister Vajira Abeywardena said any individual, local government body or other establishment that violated the National Language Act and the Constitution by naming or displaying a street, building or road in a language other than Sinhala, Tamil or English would be charged in the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court will deal with those who name and display streets, roads and buildings in a language other than the two official languages Sinhala and Tamil and link language English.

In a set of guidelines issued by Acting Secretary to the Internal Affairs, Home Affairs and Provincial Councils and Local Government Ministry, S.D.A.B. Boralessa stressed the need to remove all name boards of streets, buildings, roads or other government or private establishments, printed, painted or written in a different language than the national languages Sinhala and Tamil or link language English.

“It is vital to consider the cultural, social and historic values of the locality when a street or village is named. It is observed that this has not been in practice when streets, villages, buildings and other private or government establishments are named in certain parts of the country. Name boards have also been displayed in different languages other than the official or link language which is a violation of the Constitution and guidelines issued by this ministry. When a village is renamed, it must come to the Prime Minister’s office to issue a gazette notification through the relevant local government body, Divisional Secretary, District Secretary and the Provincial Councils and Local Government Ministry,” he said.