On Wednesday, the municipal authorities in Mumbai initiated legal proceedings against 161 shops and establishments for failing to comply with the Supreme Court directive and Maharashtra legislation by not prominently displaying their signboards in Marathi (Devanagari) script.
According to a statement from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), teams of civic officers from the Shops and Establishments Department conducted inspections of 3,575 shops and establishments throughout the metropolis. They identified 161 shops and establishments whose signboards were found to be in violation of the Supreme Court directive and regulations regarding Marathi signage.
On the first day of the drive on Tuesday, the BMC teams had inspected 3,269 shops and establishments, and took action against 176 of them for the violations. In two days starting Tuesday, the civic administration inspected a total of 6,844 shops and took action against 337 establishments for violating the signboard rule. The civic body has constituted teams of facilitators in all the 24 civic wards and they have been given powers to take legal action against the violators.
As per Rule 35 and Section 36C of the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of employment and conditions of service) Rules, 2018, and the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) (Amendment) Act, 2022, respectively, the signboards of establishments must be in Marathi Devanagari script in bold letters, the BMC has said.
The Supreme Court had previously set a two-month deadline, concluding on November 25, for shopkeepers to install Marathi signboards. In addition to taking legal action against the offenders, civic authorities have indicated that a daily penalty of Rs 2,000 may be imposed on shopkeepers and establishments that persistently violate this rule.