Mumbai: Shops Violating Marathi Signboard Rules To Face Penalties; BMC To Initiate Action From November 28

As the two-month deadline set by the Supreme Court for the shops to install Marathi signboards in Devanagari script expired on November 25, the BMC said that it will start taking strict action against violators from Tuesday. Teams from the civic body's shops and establishment departments will check on shopkeepers in all the 24 administrative wards and those found failing to comply with the norm will have to cough up a penalty of Rs 2,000 per employee, said a BMC official.

Font size of Marathi signboards should be prominently visible

In January 2022, the government amended the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Service) Act, 2017, making it compulsory for shops across the state to display Marathi signboards in Devanagari script. As per the rule, the font size of the letters should be prominently visible and larger than the fonts of other languages used on the signboards.

After the Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association (FRTWA) challenged the amendment before the Supreme Court, it restrained the BMC from taking coercive action against the shopkeepers not adhering to the norm. However, in September, the apex court asked them to follow the Marathi signboard rule while setting the two-month deadline.

'We won't pursue the matter in Supreme Court'

FRTWA President Viren Shah said, “The majority of shops have already changed or are in the process of changing their signboards. We are not pursuing the matter in the Supreme Court anymore. The FRTWA has already asked the shops, offices and establishments to comply with the norm before the deadline.”