Mumbai corporators demand action against establishments not displaying Marathi name boards

Mumbai: The issue of Marathi name boards is back in focus, with corporators raking up the matter by pointing out that the civic administration has been lax in implementing the Supreme Court order regarding Marathi signboards during a meeting of the BMC law, revenue and general purposes committee recently.

Members of the committee pointed out that several establishments, including star hotels and rooftop restaurants owned by celebrities, besides MNC establishments, have only English name boards and do not display Marathi boards. They sought action against such establishments.

On Monday, corporator Tajinder Singh Tiwana raised the issue through a point of order during the committee meeting and demanded action against those violating Marathi name board regulations. “Despite clear directives issued by the Supreme Court regarding Marathi signboards, thousands of shops, hotels, and commercial establishments across Mumbai still lack Marathi name boards,” he said.

According to Tiwana, more than 5,000 establishments either do not have Marathi name boards or display Marathi text in fonts smaller than English. “What exactly is the administration doing? Why are the rules not being implemented by the administration?” Tiwana said.

Committee chairperson Diksha Karkar said, “What was the administration doing for the last few years? They were only taking token measures. Did they take action against those who had boards with Marathi in smaller font size?”

Karkar warned the administration that if a corporator goes on the streets and finds an establishment that has violated the name board rules and has not been issued even a single notice, then a memo should be issued to the local official concerned.

“I have called for a meeting on March 13, wherein shops and establishment inspectors of all the 26 wards have been summoned. This is to ensure that the message is passed down the ranks. On MG Road in Goregaon, even now there are several small shops that do not have name boards in Marathi,” said Karkar.

Between November 28, 2023, and March 31, 2026, civic officials visited over 1.58 lakh establishments. As of March 31, 2026, 3,774 court cases had been filed across the 24 ward offices.