Shopkeepers in the city now have a month to display the names of their establishments prominently in Telugu.
The order was given by commissioner of labour B Ramanjaneylu after it was found that many shops were flouting the law, which states that the shop’s name must be displayed prominently in Telugu.
“The name of the shops in Telugu are inscribed somewhere in a corner, and it isn’t as prominently displayed as the English name. We have issued a notice to all the establishments to ensure that they rectify the boards,” said S Naresh Kumar, deputy commissioner of commissionerate of labour. “This law was introduced in 1988, and shopkeepers who won’t display name boards prominently in Telugu will be booked under provision 29 (13) of the Shops and Establishments Act. Most of the shops in the city found a way to go around this rule,” Kumar explained.
After a month, if any shop in the city does not comply to the rule, they would be booked and prosecuted by the metropolitan magistrate, who will levy a fine after hearing the case.
Registration certificates of defaulting shops will also not be renewed unless they display the name boards in the prescribed manner.
“All the assistant commissioners and circle inspectors routinely inspect establishments for non-payment of wages on time, gratuity etc. It was during this inspection we found that shops were not displaying names in Telugu properly,” said Ravi Bhushan, joint commissioner.
He added that major issues like payment of minimum wages and getting a weekly holiday were the priority issues being looked after by the labour department.
“The displaying of names prominently in Telugu is a legal aspect, but nonetheless necessary,” he informed.
Bhushan further added that there were more than 40,000 establishments in the city, and over two lakh establishments in Andhra Pradesh.