The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will prosecute shops and establishments that have not displayed signboards in Marathi from tomorrow, November 28.
The staff of the shop establishment department will initiate legal action as well as levy a penalty, officials stated. For this, the BMC has formed teams at the ward level.
The civic body will also levy a penalty of ₹2,000 per staffer per shop. This drive will start from Tuesday since Saturday, Sunday and Monday are holidays, civic officials added.
The decision comes after the Supreme Court (SC) on September 25 gave shopkeepers a two-month deadline to install Marathi signboards in Devnagri script as per the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017.
Sanjog Kabare, deputy municipal commissioner (special), BMC, said that the crackdown was in line with government rules and following SC orders.
Besides the punitive action, the civic body will also register an offence against violators and said it will bring their violations to the SC’s notice.
As per reports, 5.5 lakh establishment licenses had been issued in the city. Of the total, three lakhs are shops while the others are establishments such as clinics and private offices. Nearly, 80 per cent of shops have already followed the rules and changed the signboards.
The BMC, which initiated an inspection drive on October 10, had served notices to more than 3,000 non-compliant shops in just nine days.
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