Bhubaneswar: The state government has directed the labour officers and executive officers of all municipalities to strictly implement the Odisha Shops & Commercial Establishments Act, which makes it mandatory for commercial establishments to use signboards and display boards in Odia.
The move comes following a high-level meeting chaired by Odia Language Literature and Culture Department Additional Chief Secretary Satyabrata Sahu in Bhubaneswar on Thursday. Labour and Employee’s State Insurance Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Santhanagopalan R and District labour officers attended the meeting.
It was revealed during the meeting that out of the 52,000 registered shops and commercial establishments in the state about 47,000 have put up signboards and display boards in Odia. Following Thursday’s meeting, the state government has decided to impose hefty penalties on shop owners for violating the Odisha Shops & Commercial Establishments Act.
First, the state government will serve notices to shop owners who have not put up signboards in Odia. If they fail to adhere to the Odisha Shops & Commercial Establishments Act within seven days of the issuance of the notice, they will be penalized, a government official said.
First-time violators of the Odisha Shops & Commercial Establishments Act will have to cough up a penalty of Rs 5,000 and the penalty amount will be Rs 25,000 for the second-time violators. The state government may also cancel the licenses of shop owners if they do not oblige even after the second notice.
It is worth mentioning here that the Odisha Cabinet approved an amendment in the Orissa Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1956, on March 14, 2018, making it mandatory for all shops and commercial establishments in the state to display signboards in the Odia language.
According to the amendment, shops and commercial establishments are allowed to write their names on the signboards in any language but Odia needs to be prominent. It will be considered an offence if the names are not displayed in Odia.
