The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has informed the Bombay High Court (HC) that the BMC Commissioner is “actively considering” granting three more months to the shops and establishments for putting up the Marathi sign boards.
The deadline for the same expired on May 31.
A division bench OF Justices RD Dhanuka and MG Sewlikar last week asked the corporation to inform by July 8 whether it is willing to extend the deadline for shops to put up sign boards in Marathi.
Accordingly, the BMC advocate, Dhruti Kapadia, informed the judges that they had sent a proposal to the municipal commissioner for an extension of time by 3 months and that the said proposal was being “actively considered” by the Municipal Commissioner.
The HC was hearing a petition filed by Indian Hotel and Restaurants Association (AHAR), through advocate Vishal Thadani, seeking an additional six months' time to put up sign boards in Marathi. AHAR had approached the HC recently, after the May 31 deadline for the shops and establishments to display their names in Marathi (Devanagiri) script as well. It sought an additional six months' time to make the changes saying that the prices for getting the new sign boards have “sky-rocketed” due to a shortage of manufacturers.
In case of non-compliance, the corporation would initiate action against the concerned persons.
The court recorded Kapadia’s statement on record and granted liberty to petitioner members to apply for interim relief if any coercive steps are taken.
The HC has kept the petition for hearing on July 20.
An amendment to the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017, which mandated that all shops and establishments shall display signboard of their names in Devanagari script – the font of which shall be the same size as that of the other script and not smaller. The government had set the deadline for the same to be May 31, failing which prosecution would be initiated.
