Thane civic body issues notice to shops, establishments to display signboards in Marathi

Thane Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar has asked nine assistant civic commissioners to ensure that signboards of shops and other establishments in the city are displayed in the Marathi Devnagri script in bold letters as per Maharashtra government rules.

Thane Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar has issued an order to nine assistant civic commissioners to ensure that signboards of shops and other establishments in the city are displayed in the Marathi Devnagri script in bold letters, as per Maharashtra government rules.

Responsibility Fixed on Civic Corporation

An official release by the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) said the responsibility of ensuring the usage of Marathi on signboards has been fixed on the civic corporation. Bangar has cited a Supreme Court ruling in this regard and issued orders.

Assistant Commissioners Assigned Responsibility

Bangar has fixed the responsibility of ensuring compliance with the Supreme Court order on the nine assistant commissioners of Thane. Suitable action should be taken against shops and establishments not complying with the direction of displaying their signboards in the Marathi Devnagri script in bold letters, he said.

Legal Basis for the Order

As per Rule 35 and Section 36C of the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments Regulation of employment and conditions of service Rules, 2018, and the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service Amendment Act, 2022, respectively, the signboards of establishments must be in Marathi Devnagri script in bold letters in the state.

Supreme Court Deadline

The Supreme Court earlier gave shopkeepers a two-month deadline, which ended on November 25, to install Marathi signboards. The Thane Municipal Corporation is now taking steps to ensure compliance with this order.

The move to make Marathi the prominent language on signboards in Thane is in line with the Maharashtra government's efforts to promote the use of the Marathi language. The Supreme Court's ruling and the subsequent order by the Thane Municipal Commissioner are aimed at ensuring compliance with the state's language laws.