Fine for not wearing mask raised to Rs 500 in Ahmedabad

In a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus in Ahmedabad, the city authorities on Monday raised the penalty for not wearing face mask in a public place to Rs 500 from Rs 200 announced earlier.

A fine of Rs 10,000 will also be imposed on paan shop owners if their customers are found spitting in the open near their shops, said Additional Chief Secretary Rajiv Gupta, who was appointed to oversee works related to the Covid-19 pandemic in Gujarat's Ahmedabad city.

In a release issued on Monday, Gupta said it has been decided to increase the penalty for not wearing masks.

He said a decision to this effect was taken in a meeting with Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Mukesh Kumar and other senior officers on Monday where they took note of the fact that several people in the city were flouting the mandatory rule of wearing masks in public places.

"People are still not following the mandatory rule of wearing masks, and a number of them still come out without wearing masks. It has been decided to increase the fine for not wearing masks from Rs 200 to Rs 500. Moreover, a paan- masala shop owner will be fined Rs 10,000 if his customers are found spitting in the public near his shop," Gupta said.

Wearing face masks, not spitting and maintaining social distance in public places are important in the fight against coronavirus, he said.

Gupta also informed that 1.72 lakh people were fined in the city so far for not wearing face masks, and 94 units sealed for not following social distancing and other rules.