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MCG launches massive drive to fine people without masks in public places
Gurugram:
Gurugram:
The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram on Wednesday launched a massive drive to penalise people for not wearing masks in public places in the city.
The civic body has issued an order to its officials of the sanitation and enforcement wing in this regard. The order stated that officials need to collect Rs 500 fine on the spot from the violator and hand over him/her a face mask and sensitise him/her about its importance.
The order also stated that if the violator does not pay the requisite fine, then action can be taken against the person under Section 188 of Indian Penal Code for disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant.
As per MCG joint commissioner Gaurav Antil, from May 6 to June 16, 308 challans issued by the civic body has led to a collection of Rs 1.54 lakh.
“We are fining people who are not wearing face mask in public places to ensure they get into the habit of wearing it amid the coronavirus outbreak. We have also launched a two-day drive starting Wednesday to fine people on a large scale,” said Antil.
Antil said that the MCG will tabulate figures of Wednesday’s fines on Thursday morning.
The announcement of MCG’s special drive comes two days after Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar issued directions to Gurugram authorities during a meeting on Monday to take stringent measures for ensuring use of masks amid the sudden surge in Covid-19 cases in the city.
On June 1, the total number of Covid-19 cases in Gurugram was 903, which has risen to 3,682 till June 16, with 46 fatalities.
Although the district administration made wearing of masks mandatory on April 10, it was not until May 6, when a direction issued to all municipal corporations across the state by the directorate of Urban Local Bodies (ULB), that the MCG started fining violators.
The order by ULB stated that municipal corporations can fine a person Rs 500 if he or she doesn’t wear a mask under Section 381 of the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994. The order further stated that action under Section 188 of IPC, which invites a penalty of Rs 200 and/or imprisonment of up to one month, could also be initiated if the need arises.
