The BMC said that it set a deadline of 60 days for shops and commercial establishments to have bigger and bolder Marathi signboards.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) today said that it set a deadline of 60 days for shops and commercial establishments to have bigger and bolder Marathi signboards.
"We are currently following the orders of the Honourable Bombay High Court which said that Marathi signboards are compulsory," additional municipal commissioner RA Rajeev told reporters here.
The order came in February 2009 but was not implemented immediately because we were taking legal opinion and then there was code of conduct because of elections," he said.
Employers shall be punished with a minimum fine of Rs 1,000 and maximum fine of Rs 5,000 if they do not follow the order, Rajeev said.
On the Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association's (FRTWA) contention that BMC had misinterpreted the court order, he said, "they (FRTWA) can go to court if they want. Whatever the court decides we will follow it."
According to the BMC, there are 2,82,350 shops, 1,91,489 commercial establishments, 1,071 residential hotels, 13,145 restaurants and 655 theatres in the city.
According to the BMC, as per the rule 20 (A) of the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments Rules, 1961 it is obligatory on the part of the employers to display the name board of the establishments in Marathi in Devnagri script.
Later in September 2000, the Maharashtra government amended the rule. As per the amendment, if the name board in any other language or script in addition to Marathi in Devnagri script is displayed, the lettering of the board should not be less bold, than any other language or script used, or written in the beginning.
This amendment was then challenged by FRTWA in 2001. The Bombay High Court in its interim order dated April 4, 2001 had restrained the BMC from imposing or recovering fine in relation to the implementation of the amended rule 20 (A) till any further orders.
The Court through its order dated February 2, 2009 disposed of the aforesaid writ petition and vacated the interim orders.
"With this it means that employers should get the name of the board of their establishments in Marathi Devnagri script within 60 days from the date of issue of this Public Notice. The lettering must be in the beginning and should not be less bold than any other lettering in any other language," Rajeev said.
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