BMC asserts that 79.28% of stores and establishments had Marathi signboards

According to the inspection conducted by local officials over the last week, 79.28% of businesses have Marathi signboards as required by law, a civic official reported on Tuesday. From October 10 to October 17, the civic team visited 12,001 stores and was notified of 2,672 violations. The BMC discovered in September that, after numerous deadline extensions, barely 50% of the stores had displayed their names in Devnagari script. Therefore, the civic team began inspecting stores and institutions throughout the city on Monday. Shops and establishments that disobey the law are subject to legal action and are fined Rs. 2,000 for each employee they have.

 

There are 500,000 stores and other businesses in the city. Every day, teams from each ward will investigate their areas and issue notices. In March, the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly approved a measure requiring all businesses to post signboards in the Devanagari script. The shops' group objected when the BMC issued guidelines and a May 31 deadline as a result of it. The deadline was pushed back twice, first to June 30 and again to September 30 at the urging of various trade organizations.