Why do Indian roads have colour-coded milestones?
Well, GPS-enabled smartphones have sort of replaced the need for milestones nowadays. However, there was a time when these milestones were the most accurate source of information regarding the number of kilometres needed to get to your destination.
India’s road network is 58.9 lakh kilometres long! Hence, these colour- coded milestones help us identify national highways from state highways and rural roads. Here are the meanings of the various colours of milestones.
Milestones with orange strips
If a milestone has an orange strip on it, you're on a rural road. The total length of rural roads is currently 3.93 lakh kilometres. The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and the Jawahar Rozgar Yojna (JRY) are also represented by the orange strip.
Milestones with yellow strips
Travelling on a national highway is indicated with a yellow-coloured milestone. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is responsible for maintaining India’s national highways. According to statistics from the year 2021, national highways cover a total length of 1, 51,019 kilometres. India's national highways run through several states. They allow cities in various states to communicate with one another.
National highways include the NS-EW corridor (north-south corridor from Jammu and Kashmir to Kanyakumari, the east-west corridor from Porbandar in Gujarat to Silchar in Assam) and the Golden Quadrilateral (which connects India's four metro cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata). The total length of the Golden Quadrilateral is 5846 km, while that of the east-west corridor is 3,300 km. Meanwhile, the length of the north-south corridor is 4000 km.
Milestones with green strips
You're on a state highway if you see a green-striped milestone on the side of the road. State governments are in charge of building and maintaining these highways. According to data from 2016, they connect several cities within a state and cover a total distance of 1, 76, 166 kilometres.
Milestones with black or blue strips
You're in a city or on a district road if you notice a blue stripe milestone or a black-and-white one. District roads, as the name implies, enable connectivity within a district and are maintained by the district administration of that particular district. India currently has a 5, 61, 940 kilometres long network of district highways.
Zero mile centre
During the British rule, Nagpur was designated as India's zero mile centre. The British used the 'zero mile centre' as a reference point for measuring distances to all other cities. This centre comprises four horses and a sandstone pillar with a list of exact distance by road to India's major cities.
Hence, it can be said that coloured milestones on the side of a highway or road let us track the distance of our travel by displaying the name of the location. The names of cities and distances are written in black. On the head of the milestone is inscribed the highway number. The nearest towns and cities are listed, along with their distance in kilometres.