Contract with clean-up marshals over, BMC stops fining those without masks

In case clean-up marshals’ services are discontinued, the responsibility of fining citizens for not wearing face masks could be given to the civic body’s nuisance detectors (ND).

“Contracts of clean-up marshals have expired. The discussion is going on and a decision will be taken accordingly,” said a senior official from the SWM department. A source from the BMC also said that since daily Covid-19 cases have been decreasing, senior officials have been discussing whether to stop penalising citizens for not wearing masks. “Although people should wear masks… since there has been a sharp dip in daily Covid-19 cases, the penalty could be discontinued. Soon, there will be a decision on that,” said the source.

The clean-up marshals, who were primarily hired in 2007 for penalising people for spitting, littering, and dumping debris in public places, were given the power to penalise citizens if they were found not wearing masks in public places after the Covid-19 pandemic started.

The clean-up marshals fine citizens Rs 200 for not wearing masks. In the last-one-and-half years, the clean-up marshals have fined more than 35 lakh citizens and collected over Rs 80 crore as penalty.