The Delhi High Court has said that the Delhi government should seriously examine the proposal to impose spot fines for mosquito breeding, instead of issuing challans, to ensure deterrence among people in the national capital. The court last year initiated a suo motu case in the wake of a surge in dengue cases. “We are also of the view that where institutions are found guilty of such conduct, the quantum of fine should not be limited to merely Rs 5,000, and should be fixed at Rs 50,000. The GNCTD shall examine these aspects at the highest level and respond on the next date,” said the division bench of acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Jasmeet Singh in an order. While the erstwhile NDMC had mooted a proposal to raise the fine from Rs 500 to Rs 50,000 and suggested imposition of spot fines, the Delhi government told the court that its proposal to hike it to Rs 5,000 is underway, adding that there is no proposal for on-the-spot fines. Expressing dissatisfaction with the government proposal, the court said, “The efficacy of the system of imposition of fines as a deterrent would be completely lost, if fines are not imposed on the spot. We may also notice that merely challaning the violators and those found guilty of allowing mosquito breeding on their premises, would only lead to an explosion of such cases in the courts, and add to the existing heavy burden that the subordinate courts have to deal with.” The court passed the order in a suo motu case initiated by it last year to monitor the steps being taken to control the spread of vector-borne diseases like Dengue in the national capital. It had noted that the penalty for mosquito breeding is paltry and an amendment in the law may be required to increase it. On the implementation of the common protocol evolved by the municipal bodies to control the spread of these diseases, the division bench has said that overall responsibility should rest with the Municipal Commissioner who will coordinate with the Deputy Health Officer. “We direct that the DHOs in the Municipal Corporations; the CMO in the NDMC, and Assistant Health Officer (AHO) in Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB) shall be responsible to implement the common protocol. The Commissioner of the MCD and the Chief Executive Officer of the NDMC and DCB shall be responsible to supervise the working of the DHOs, CMO and AHO respectively. Failure to perform their duties by the aforesaid officers shall invite departmental action, as well as Contempt of Court, both individually and jointly,” it said further.
