On-the-spot fine of Rs 1,000 for spitting in public in Delhi

Spitting and urinating in public in Delhi will now attract an on-the-spot fine of Rs 1,000, double the Rs 500 levied before—the south, north and east Delhi municipal corporations

Spitting and urinating in public in Delhi will now attract an on-the-spot fine of Rs 1,000, double the Rs 500 levied before—the south, north and east Delhi municipal corporations, and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), said in an order issued on Saturday.

Till now, under Section 357 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, sanitary inspectors were empowered to catch anyone spitting in the open and issue on-the-spot fines in the range of Rs 100-Rs 500. (File photo for representation)

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had issued fresh directives for Covid-19 management, asking municipal bodies to make spitting “punishable with a fine under Section 51 (b) of the Disaster Management Act” on April 15, four days after it asked all states to prohibit the use and spitting of smokeless tobacco in public places to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

“This directive will remain in force till it is expressly withdrawn,” the notices brought out by the four Delhi municipal agencies said on Saturday.

Dr. Lallan Verma, senior public health expert with the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), said, “Urinating in the open is a nuisance whereas public spitting is no less than a big health hazard for all. Even before Coronavirus arrived, open spitting is known to spread various diseases through droplets like tuberculosis, mumps, measles and meningitis,” he added.

Till now, under Section 357 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, sanitary inspectors were empowered to catch anyone spitting in the open and issue on-the-spot fines in the range of Rs 100-Rs 500.

“We would generally see the profile of the offender. For example, if it’s someone spitting out of the window of his car, he would fined Rs 500,” said KC Bhardwaj, a sanitary superintendent with SDMC. “But now, it’s Rs 1,000 for all. In case the violator does not have money to pay the fine, the person’s address from an ID card such as a driving licence or Aadhaar card will be taken. Otherwise, his or her photograph will clicked mobile along with details disclosed by her/him. If the violator does not agree, the challan will be sent to the magistrate to recover from her or him,” said SDMC spokesperson, Radha Krishan.

Civic body officials said that though spitting in public is the most common offence, but it is also the one that is the most difficult to prosecute.

A senior North Delhi Municipal Corporation officer, who requested anonymity, said, “Catching people who spit in public places is particularly difficult. They spit on even flowerpots installed on roadsides and dividers, and feign innocence. They start asking for proof when we threaten to challan them. So we are forced to take an educational stance, telling them about the law and the fine. More recently, we have deputed bike-borne teams in markets to catch such people.”

Officials said that with a large section of the population addicted to gutkha, spitting is common across the city. The New Delhi Municipal Council had once proposed to put a ban on sale of paan (betel leaf) and gutkha/supari at Delhi Connaught Place, a heritage shopping arcade, after the freshly painted white walls were stained red by those who spat after eating paan and gutkha.

The white columns of the market are painted regularly but despite civic agencies placing boards requesting people not to spit, the columns have red stain marks.