Covid-19: No mask, no money to pay fine? Sweep roads in Mumbai

If you do not wear masks on the roads of Mumbai – and are not ready to pay fine, you will need to sweep the roads.

Wielding the stick, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to instill fear so that people start wearing masks.

Over Thursday and Friday, more than 100 persons have been made to sweep the roads when found not wearing masks and not ready or unable to shell out Rs 200 as fine.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had himself expressed concern repeatedly that he had noticed that several people in Mumbai are not wearing masks or not wearing them properly.

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Earlier this month, BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal had set the target of penalizing 20,000 people per day for not wearing masks.

When the Covid-19 lockdown started, the BMC decided on a fine of Rs 1,000 if found not wearing masks, which was reduced to Rs 200 when the Unlock process started.

“The Maharashtra government and the BMC have been requesting people to wear masks, but several people are not adhering to the new normal protocols. We are now asking people to do community service by asking them to sweep roads,” a BMC official said.

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The punishment is being handed out as per the BMCs Solid Waste Management Bye-Laws that give the civic body powers to ask citizens to do various community services for spitting on roads.

The BMC teams have fanned out in several areas and as of now they are keeping a hawk-eyed vigil in the market areas.

“While some people realize the mistake and apologise and even do community service, some of them are threatening us also,” said assistant municipal commissioner Vishwas Mote.