Proposal Seeking More Time for Shops, Others Establishments to Put Up Marathi Signboards Submitted to BMC Chief: HC Told

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday told the Bombay High Court that a proposal has been submitted to the civic commissioner to consider extending the May 31 deadline granted to shops and other establishments to put up signboards in Marathi Devanagari script and a decision would be taken soon.

A division bench of Justices R D Dhanuka and M G Sewlikar was hearing a petition filed by the Indian Hotel and Restaurants Association challenging the validity of the May 31 deadline to change the language, font size and order of the language on their signboards.

BMC advocate Dhruti Kapadia on Friday told the court that the concerned department of the corporation has submitted a proposal to the civic body commissioner seeking him to consider extending the deadline by three months. The association’s advocate Vishal Thadani then sought the court to grant the petitioners interim protection from coercive action from the BMC for not adhering to the deadline.

Kapadia told the court that there would be no need for any interim order as the commissioner was likely to consider the proposal positively within a week. The bench then posted the matter for further hearing on July 20.

The newly-added requirements for changing signboards were prescribed by the BMC under section 36A of the Maharashtra Shops & Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act. The petitioners stated that the amendment issued did not prescribe for a fixed time period. However, through newspaper advertisements and notices issued to the establishments, a deadline of May 31 was fixed by the BMC. Members of the petitioner association are ready and willing to change the signboards, the plea stated.

However, the newly-introduced norms will require huge expenses and labour to carry out the changes, the establishment owners said. The failure to abide by the requirement within the deadline would attract a penalty, which could go as high as Rs 5,000, the petitioners said, seeking an extension of six months. The municipal commissioner is currently the administrator of the BMC as the five-year term of the elected members of the civic body came to an end in March this year and elections are yet to be held.

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