On June 16, presidents of the major traders union associations in the city met with Additional Municipal Commissioner (AMC) Ashish Sharma to discuss an extension in the deadline to change of shop and establishments signboards in the city. As per the latest amendment in the Maharashtra Shops and Establishment (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act 2022, a Marathi signboard in Devanagari script is compulsory for all shops and restaurants. This latest amendment also states that the Marathi signage should not be smaller than those in the other languages.

The deadline for the law approved by the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in March has been extended repeatedly. As of now, the deadline stands at June 30. At Thursday’s meeting, the associations requested another six months to make the shift. “The AMC heard everyone and informed them that a six-month extension is not possible,” says Viren Shah, President, Federation of Retail traders Welfare Association (FRTWA). “The BMC will review how many boards have not been changed, ward wise, and take a call at the end of the month.” Representatives of over 15 associations were part of the discussion and were in favour of the extension.