Wear a mask or sweep roads: BMC’s new way to punish defaulters

If you are in Mumbai, make sure not to get
spotted without a face mask or get ready to pay Rs 200 fine and if you fail to
do so, BMC has a better plan, Sweep Roads!

For not wearing masks in public places, the Brihanmumbai Municipal
Corporation (BMC) is getting violators and fine defaulters to perform community
service by sweeping the streets.

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The K-West BMC ward, which
includes areas like Andheri West, Juhu and Varsova, has already made several
violators sweep roads to discourage people from littering around without a mask
on.

Assistant Municipal Commissioner
(K-West ward), Vishwas Mote, told PTI on Thursady that they have made many defaulters
to sweep roads in the last seven day in case they refuse to pay fine or create nuisance
by arguing with the officials.

“Until today, a total of
35 people were made to do community service in the K-West ward” Vishwas
Mote said.

Officials noted that the
penalty is being imposed in the backdrop of BMCs Solid Waste Management
Bye-Laws that gives civic body the authority to make citizens do community
service for spitting on public places.

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According to a civic
official, most people were initially adamant to sweep roads in the name of
community service but went along with the orders when warned of police actions.

While many people readily agreed
to perform community services on learning that they have a mistake by not
wearing face mask” said the official.

The Bombay civic body is running
various campaigns to spread pandemic related awareness in the immensely
coronavirus ridden city.

Recently BMC had instructed
authorities to abate the entry of people without masks in public buses, taxis,
auto-rickshaws and even inside housing societies.