As the fourth deadline comes to end today, October 10, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is likely to start taking action against shop owners failing to put up Marathi signboards across the city.
The BMC in its order stated that the civic body will issue a seven days’ notice from October before taking action against defaulters.
Clarifying further, senior civic official exclaimed that just like every other part in Maharashtra, the BMC will issue a notice and ask shopkeepers to put up Marathi signboards before taking action.
Moreover, around 60 inspectors will visit at least 50 shops and establishments per day. It means around 3,000 shops will be inspected in a day. Those who will not abide by the law will get a seven-day notice and thereafter, civic body will start taking action, official added.
For those unversed, the third deadline given to the commercial establishments for displaying Marathi signboards ended on September 30. The earlier two deadlines ended on June 30 and May 31.
However, after taking a review a few days ago, the civic body found that 50 per cent of shops have yet to make the required changes, as per reports.
Expressing its distress, an official stated that despite extending the deadlines three times till now, still 50 per cent of shops are still working on it.
It has come to light that other cities and districts in Maharashtra have started implementing the law, but BMC has still not started acting against defaulters.
Besides, it is pertinent to note that the shop owners’ association petition challenging the amendment in the law for the same, and requesting a stay on the action is due for hearing in the Supreme Court.
Report states that there are around five lakh shops across the city. The civic officials took the review few days back and found that around 2.5 lakh shops has displayed the Marathi signboards.
According to the amendment in the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) (Amendment) Act, 2022, all shops in the state must display Marathi signboards in Devanagari script. The fine will be INR 2,000 per staffer of the shop.
There is a compounding provision under the act, that BMC can fine the shops and settle the matter, if they display boards in Marathi without filing court cases.