Mumbai: In a major enforcement move, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced that shops and establishments across the city failing to display name boards in Marathi will now face double the property tax starting May 1, 2025. Additionally, illuminated signboards not in Marathi will result in immediate licence cancellations, the civic body stated in a press release.
The crackdown comes in the wake of continued non-compliance with a rule mandating that all commercial establishments must display signboards in Marathi, using Devanagari script in bold. BMC has so far fined 343 shops a cumulative ₹32 lakh after holding hearings for violations. In 177 other cases, court proceedings led to fines totalling nearly ₹14 lakh.
Further intensifying the drive, the civic body has sent out legal notices to 3,040 establishments that are yet to update their signage.
According to Rule 35 and Section 36C of the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments Rules, 2018, and the 2022 amendment to the Act, Marathi signage is legally mandatory. The Supreme Court had given all shops a two-month deadline ending November 25, 2024, to comply.
Apart from licence suspension for illuminated non-Marathi boards, new licence renewal charges have also been revised upwards — ranging from ₹25,000 to ₹1.5 lakh per shop or establishment.
The BMC maintains that this is not only a compliance issue but a step toward preserving and promoting the Marathi language and identity in Mumbai’s commercial landscape.
