New Delhi: The Brihanamumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued an order on Wednesday mandating that all shops should have their names written first in Marathi in capital letters and then in other languages.
The order also added that the names of visionary men and forts should be written on nameplates of liquor shops, and the font size for Marathi should be bigger than that of other languages, news agency ANI reported.
“BMC orders that the names of the shops should be written first in Marathi, in capital letters &then in other languages. Names of visionary men, forts shouldn't be written on nameplates of liquor shops. The font size of Marathi letters should be bigger than all other letters,” the order said.
The order comes after another BMC order earlier the same day that the schools under its jurisdiction should have their names written in Marathi Devanagari script outside schools.
“BMC education department has issued a circular & has asked all schools under its jurisdiction to put names of the schools in Marathi Devanagari script on signboards of 8×3 feet size with viability outside school,” the BMC order said, ANI reported.
The orders have come in the backdrop of Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray’s statements on Saturday where he asserted that his government is working on simplification of official Marathi’ which is sometimes incomprehensible.
“Knowledge of English is important. I don't hate other languages, but I will not tolerate insult to Marathi. There is no need to hate other languages, but there should not be encroachment by other languages too,” Thackeray was quoted as saying by news agency PTI during the foundation stone laying ceremony of Marathi Bhasha Bhavan.