No Marathi Signboards: 625 Shops in Mumbai Slapped with ₹50 Lakh in Fines

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has collected nearly 50 lakh rupees in fines in the past 15 days from businesses that failed to display signage in Marathi, using the Devanagari script.

On April 8, 2024, the BMC issued directives to impose fines equivalent to the property tax amount on establishments that fail to comply with the regulation starting May 1, 2024. These directives have shown results in the past 15 days. A total of 625 establishments previously without Marathi signage have now complied, according to court proceedings and BMC hearings. These establishments have been fined a total of ₹50 lakh. Court hearings in the past 15 days resulted in fines of ₹43,10,000 for 565 non-compliant businesses. During the same period, the BMC administration heard 60 cases and collected ₹6,42,000 in fines.

Inspections of 1,281 establishments in the past 15 days found that 1,233 complied with the Marathi signage requirement. However, 48 establishments were non-compliant, and inspection reports have been issued.

According to Regulation 35 of the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Service Conditions) Rules, 2018, and Section 36C of the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Service Conditions) (Amendment) Act, 2022, establishments must prominently display signboards in Marathi, using the Devanagari script. The Supreme Court has also issued directives in this regard.

Since November 28, 2023, the BMC has been conducting continuous inspections of shops and establishments in Mumbai to verify compliance. Teams of senior facilitators and facilitators from the Shops and Establishments Department at the ward level are carrying out these inspections.  To date, the court has heard 742 cases and imposed fines totaling ₹57,04,600 on non-compliant businesses. The BMC administration has settled 403 cases, collecting ₹38,28,000 in fines.