'No Marathi Signboards': 625 Shops In Mumbai Fined Rs 50 LAKH | Details Inside

Mumbai: The BMC has fined 625 businesses and other establishments in Mumbai Rs 50 lakhs for not displaying Marathi nameplates as mandated by the municipal authority. These establishments and shops have been inspected since November 2023. Having said that, the penalty was quickly paid in the final two weeks after the local government declared that, starting on May 1, 2024, shops without Marathi nameplates would be required to pay double property tax.

Following a visit by a group of municipal officers to the stores, if there isn't a Marathi signboard, an inspection report is created and compliance is requested. However, in order to demonstrate that it has complied with the regulations and to pay the applicable fine, the shopkeeper must either return to the BMC or appear in court. The city body began enforcing actions against stores that failed to display Marathi nameplates in November 2023.

On Tuesday, the BMC made a public appeal asking people to report businesses and stores that do not have prominent Marathi nameplates to the local city government. Authorities report that a significant increase in the number of stores adhering to the Marathi signboard requirement has occurred since the BMC's April declaration that businesses and establishments lacking Marathi nameplates will pay double property tax as of May 1. "1,233 out of 1,281 establishments inspected in the last fortnight by the BMC were found to have correctly displayed nameplates in Marathi language, in Devanagari script, on the shops," stated a source.

The Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017 was amended by the state cabinet in 2022, requiring Marathi nameplates to be shown at establishments with even fewer than 10 employees.