Bhubaneswar: A year after it was planned, the municipal corporation has finally initiated the process to install a new set of signage to mark heritage properties located in the city's Old Town, popularly known as Ekamra Kshetra.

The new signage will have route direction, information and location map of the city's heritage structures. The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) has prepared the signage design that imbibes the Kalingan style of temple architecture.

The information on the signage will be in Odia, Hindi and English. The administration will spend Rs 2.75 crore to prepare and install 521 signage.

The route signage will be installed at major crossings, near the entry points of residential streets and on walls of narrow lanes. The location signage, which will have information regarding the year of construction, will be placed near the heritage structures. The signage giving information about the site will be at the entry point of the monuments.

Besides, the heritage map will be installed at the entrance to the heritage site to guide visitors around the monument.

The emergency signage will, however, be placed outside the facility and at common points.

"We have floated the tender to select the project executor. The selection will be over by the end of this year and they will be put up hopefully by June next year. The executor will not only produce the signage, but also install and maintain them," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.

At present, the monuments in Old Town area are dotted with blue-coloured signage that depicts only the name of the sites.

However, with the installation of the new signage, visitors will be able to know the name of the heritage sites and their history.

"It is a good move to replace old signage. The present ones only provide the name of the monument, but we are curious to know more about them. This makes us depend on a guide. I hope the new signage will provide enough information about the places," said Manorama Mishra, a visitor to Lingaraj Temple here on Monday.