Key points:-
• So far the BMC has caught over 15 lakh persons for not wearing a mask and collected Rs 30.5 crore in fines since March 2020.
• In November, to encourage Covid-19-appropriate behaviour among citizens the BMC had announced that it would provide ‘free’ masks to those found without face cover in public and also collect a fine of Rs 200 from them.
BMC officials say there are 1,200 marshals deployed across the city, with 50 marshals in each of the 24 municipal wards to fine people for not wearing masks.
With the rise in Covid-19 cases in the city and several people lowering their guard, the BMC has once again intensified its drive to fine those who are not wearing masks. According to BMC data, the civic body is fining around 13,000 people a day and collecting over Rs 25 lakh in fines. So far the BMC has caught over 15 lakh persons for not wearing a mask and collected Rs 30.5 crore in fines since March 2020.
In November, to encourage Covid-19-appropriate behaviour among citizens the BMC had announced that it would provide ‘free’ masks to those found without face cover in public and also collect a fine of Rs 200 from them.
On New Year’s Eve, the BMC caught over 3,000 people not wearing masks in public places and collected nearly Rs 27 lakh from them in fines. A day later, on January 1, 12,882 such offenders were fined a total Rs 25.6 lakh. As of February 15, a total of 15,16,398 people have been fined for not wearing masks and Rs 30.69 crore have been collected in fines.
Officials said that they also asked some offenders to do community services, like sweeping the street, as they didn’t have money to pay the penalty.
