Mumbai: Mumbai Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi has asked all shops and establishments, including five-star hotels and celebrity-owned outlets, to prominently display signboards in Marathi within the next 30 days. He warned that failure to comply with this directive would lead to 'Shiv Sena-style' response.
Speaking to news agency PTI after a meeting with the officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) shops and establishments department, Ghadi said that Marathi signboards written in Devanagari script were mandatory as per Supreme Court directives.
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"Whether it is a five-star hotel or any other establishment, Marathi signboards are compulsory," Ghadi said, adding that strict action would be taken against violators.
The Deputy Mayor warned that a 'Shiv-Sena' style action would be taken against establishments that fail to install prominently visible signboards in Marathi within a month.
Mumbai Has 9 Lakh Shops And Establishments
He said that out of the nine lakh shops and establishments in Mumbai, over 5,020 shops have yet to comply with the rule mandating the display of Marathi signboards.
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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has inspected nearly 1.58 million establishments across Mumbai as a part of this drive. While approximately 1.53 million businesses were found to comply with the directive, 5,020 establishments have yet to install Marathi signboards despite receiving official notices.
The civic body has so far issued notices to 3,774 establishments, prosecuted 3,114 for non-compliance and recovered fines amounting to Rs 1.91 crore.
Ghadi has asked all shops and establishments, including five-star hotels, to prominently display signboards in Marathi. He further stated that inspections must be carried out to ensure compliance, warning that strict action will be taken against officials ignoring enforcement action.
BMC Law Committee Chairperson Diksha Karkar, who was also present at the occasion, said that the administration has been instructed to issue notices to establishments that had not yet received them and ensure compliance within the next 30 days.
Karkar directed officials to compile a list of non-compliant establishments, submit a report on the action taken within 15 days, and take further action after the one-month deadline.
"If officials take action against five-star hotels and major corporate offices, smaller shops and establishments will automatically follow suit," she was quoted as saying.