₹2.30 crore collected in fines for not wearing mask in Mumbai: BMC data

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday said that it had collected a sum of ₹1.64 crore from more than 82,000 people between October 1 and 21 for not wearing a mask in public places. According to the data provided by the BMC, overall 82% of the action was taken the last 21 days against citizens. The action of penalising citizens started in April 2020 and since that time over 1 lakh citizens have been penalised ₹2.30 crore for not wearing a mask in public places.

The BMC on October 12 had launched a massive drive to penalise 20,000 citizens daily for not wearing a mask, however, the target has not been met yet. On October 12, when the drive was launched nearly 40,000 citizens were penalised, and as of October 21, 10 days later additional 60,000 citizens were penalised for not wearing a mask.

Meanwhile, Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner of BMC said, “The purpose of the action is to ensure that more and more citizens use masks properly and consistently, as the use of masks is highly effective in preventing the spread of Covid-19.”