Not wearing a mask, spitting, littering and urinating in public will attract a penalty of Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 in Bengaluru, with the BBMP invoking solid waste management bylaws to contain the spread of coronavirus.
In an order on Friday, BBMP Commissioner B H Anil Kumar said the rising number of Covid-19 cases in Bengaluru calls for appropriate action and precautionary guidelines.
“Wearing a facial mask is compulsory in public places and any working space with more than five people,” the order said.
People and organisations violating the rule will have to pay Rs 1,000 for the first offence and Rs 2,000 for the second and subsequent violations. The rules apply to apartment complexes also. “We have considered the common areas inside apartments as public spaces. The rules apply to all such areas where people gather,” Kumar said.
The BBMP had on January 15 issued a draft notification, warning of a Rs 500-fine for urinating in public, but it had no impact. Now, with the virus outbreak, the civic body can’t afford to drop its guard. “Spitting, urinating, littering and any kind of related public nuisance is banned and will be considered as a public offence,” its latest order said.
The BBMP also invoked the Epidemic Disease Act and sections of the IPC that provide for six-month jail for a "negligent act” of violation, imprisonment up to two years for a “malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life”.