Marathi signboards: BMC takes legal action against 161 shops in crackdown

BMC takes legal action against 161 shops for not displaying signboards in Marathi. MNS activists blacken signboards of shops not in Marathi. SC set Nov 25 deadline for shops to install Marathi signboards. BMC teams inspect 6,844 shops.

The Mumbai civic body on Wednesday took legal action against 161 shops and establishments for not displaying signboards in Marathi (Devanagari) script in bold letters in violation of a Supreme Court directive and provisions of the Maharashtra legislation. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a release that teams of civic officers inspected 3,575 shops across the megalopolis and found signboards of 161 shops and establishments violating the apex court directive. On the first day of the drive on Tuesday, the BMC teams had inspected 3,269 shops and establishments, and took action against 176 of them. In two days starting Tuesday, the civic administration had inspected a total of 6,844 shops. The civic body has constituted teams of facilitators in all its 24 wards and they have been given powers to take legal action against the violators.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena activists blackened the signboards of some shops and establishments in languages other than Marathi. The protest comes against the backdrop of the Supreme Court setting November 25 as the deadline for shopkeepers and other commercial establishments in the State to install signboards in the Marathi script in bold letters.