MUMBAI, May 14 -- At a time when the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is facing mounting criticism over alleged irregularities in civic works, monsoon preparedness, inflated expenditure, tender manipulation and poor maintenance of major infrastructure projects, the civic body has now directed its officials to intensify action against establishments that fail to display Marathi signboards, including five-star hotels and prominent corporate offices across Mumbai. Officials have also been warned of action if establishments within their respective wards continue to remain non-compliant with Marathi signage rules. The directive was issued by law committee chairperson Diksha Karkar during a special meeting of the BMC law committee held on Wednesday. Licence inspectors from all wards, along with officials from the shops and establishments department and the legal department, were summoned for the meeting. Karkar told officials that enforcement against large and high-profile entities would send a strong message and encourage smaller establishments to comply with the rules voluntarily. "If officials take action against five-star hotels and major corporate offices, smaller shops and establishments will automatically follow suit," she said during the meeting. The officials have been directed to submit a compliance report before the law committee within the next fortnight and initiate action against violators within the next month. According to civic data, the BMC has so far issued notices to 3,774 establishments directing them to install Marathi signboards, while 3,114 establishments have been prosecuted for non-compliance. The civic body has collected penalties amounting to Rs.191.48 lakh from violators. BMC officials have already inspected nearly 1.58 million establishments across Mumbai as part of the drive. Of these, around 1.53 million establishments complied with the directive, while 5,020 establishments failed to install Marathi signboards despite receiving notices. The enforcement drive began in November 2023 after the Maharashtra government's order mandating Marathi signboards came into force in Mumbai. Under a 2022 Maharashtra government resolution, all establishments in the state are required to display signboards prominently in Marathi. The Marathi text must be larger and more visible than signboards in other languages....