Not wearing masks in Mumbai won't cost ₹1,000, police chief busts fake news
Criminal proceeding or fine or both will be initiated against miscreants spreading misinformation on social media, Mumbai Police said.
In the wake of fake news and rumours over Mumbai lockdown doing the rounds on social media, Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh has recently taken to Twitter to clear the air. The penalty for not wearing a mask in public remains ₹200, and not ₹1,000 as claimed by viral messages.
"Dear Mumbaikars! #FakeNews mongers are back again! This time claiming that No Mask can cost you a fine 1000 rupees. While no money can compensate for safety being compromised, you can only be charged Rupees 200 for not wearing a mask," he tweeted.
As the state reported a sudden spurt in the number of fresh infections, surveillance in Mumbai has been strengthened. Marshalls have been deployed at Mumbai local rail stations to keep an eye on whether commuters are wearing masks.
Maharashtra Covid-19: Record spike in Amravati, districts impose travel ban
On Tuesday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation penalised 14,600 people for not wearing masks and collected ₹29 lakh as a penalty. Since March 2020, over 15 lakh have been penalised contributing ₹30.5 crore as penalty.
Several Maharashtra districts have imposed night curfew, weekend lockdown, short-term lockdown as measures to counter the rising number of cases. But no statewide restriction has been put in place. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddav Thackeray earlier said he would observe the Covid-19 situation of the state for a week to 15 days and decide whether the state needs another lockdown. Religious, social and political gatherings have been prohibited in the state from Monday. Uddhav Thackeray has also asked the state's chief secretary to draw up a plan to implement two working shifts at Mantralaya, the government's administrative headquarters.
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