Nagpur: The district administration on Wednesday implemented hiked fine of Rs1,000 for not wearing mask and maintaining Covid distancing in rural areas of the district while the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has decided to continue with existing amount of Rs500 in city limits.
Thus, there will be differing penalty for the same violation in the district. In spirit of ‘Gandhigiri’ the civic body will instead gift a mask to violators after recovering the fine from them.
Resident deputy collector Ravindra Khajanchi ordered implementation of hiked fine of Rs1,000 in rural areas. He also wrote to all sub-divisional officers and tehsildars for effective implementation of the decision. Khajanchi told TOI, “Circular to hike fine was issued on November 1 but we are implementing it now. A majority of the people were not wearing mask and maintaining Covid distancing in rural areas so we had to hike the fine.”
Different municipal councils and gram panchayats recovered a fine of Rs4,33,500 from 806 persons in rural areas as on Tuesday. Also, an offence has been registered against 17 persons.
Municipal commissioner Radhakrishnan B said, “We will hike fine if needed. Our aim is to bring behavioural change. We are trying to spread awareness and educate people about importance of wearing masks when out of home.”
Additional municipal commissioner Ram Joshi said NMC’s Nuisance Detection Squad (NDS) which is monitoring and recovering fines will give masks to violators after recovering fine from them. “We will do it to educate people and ensure that they wear mask after paying the fine. It is ‘Gandhigiri’ initiative as some people are not wearing mask despite having awareness and being penalized. Extra charges will not be taken from violators for mask,” he said.
In city as well as rural areas, no monitoring and action is being taken for violating the Covid distancing norm inside shops, markets, restaurants, roadside kiosks, functions etc
Earlier, the fine for not wearing mask was Rs200. Home minister Anil Deshmukh asked NMC and district administration to hike it to Rs500 in mid-September.
In city, NMC’s NDS squad has recovered a fine of Rs90.19 lakh from 21,320 people so far. Action has also been taken against visitors at NMC head office for not wearing mask.