The BMC from today will collect double property tax from the shops and establishments that fail to display Marathi signboards in Devanagari script. A civic team formed at the ward level will carry out the inspection of the shops in their respective areas, and take action accordingly. The civic body has also appealed to the citizens to inform the ward offices about the establishments in their areas that do not have Marathi signboards.
Compliance And Penalties For Marathi Signboards
Meanwhile, after receiving notices, around 1,233 shops have adhered to the norms, while a Rs50 lakh fine was collected after court hearings in 625 cases. During a survey spanning from November 28, 2023 to March 31, the civic team found out that 84,007 (96.5%) out of 87,007 establishments have tweaked the signboards as per the new rules.
After a review on April 8, the civic team inspected 1,281 shops in the last 15 days. However, 48 of them were found without Marathi signboards. “Of 625 cases, a Rs43.1 lakh fine was imposed by the court in 565 cases. While the BMC collected a penalty of Rs6.42 lakh in 60 cases after the hearings in the last 15 days,” said a senior civic official.
Penalties For Non-Compliance With Marathi Signboard Norms
Since November 2023, a fine of Rs57 lakh has been collected after hearings in 742 cases, while a Rs38.28 lakh penalty has been imposed by the BMC in 403 cases. The civic body has also warned that licenses issued for illuminated signboards will be immediately cancelled if the shops fail to comply with the norms.
“Once the registration of a glow signboard is cancelled, the establishment has to spend an amount ranging from Rs25,000 to Rs1.5 lakh for a fresh license,” said the official.
In January 2022, the government mandated that establishments employing fewer than 10 workers should also display signboards in Marathi, with the font size equal to other languages on them. The deadline set by the Supreme Court for the shops to adhere to the new rule expired on November 25, 2023.
