After taking no action in past few weeks, PMC penalises residents, eateries for violating Covid norms

A civic official said on Tuesday, “As many as 549 hotels and restaurants have been penalised for violating norms and a total fine of Rs 1.01 lakh has been recovered from them.”

In the past few weeks before the recent rise in cases, the PMC had taken no action against people and organisations that were violating safety norms.

The standard operating procedure for restaurants mandate that they should ensure physical distancing by making seating arrangements at alternate tables and only 50 per cent of the eatery’s capacity should be filled at a time. Tables have to be sanitised after each use, the temperature of all customers has to be scanned and sanitisers have to be provided at the entrances. Staff have to wear compulsory face masks. Hotels and restaurants have been penalised for violating these guidelines.

Since the lockdown begain in March 2020, the civic administration has taken action against 2,35,060 residents for not wearing masks in public places and recovered Rs 11.73 crore in penalty dues. At least 5,116 residents have also been fined for spitting in public places and Rs 6.96 lakh in penalty dues was recovered from them in the past year.

Similarly, 1,256 malls and shops have been penalised so far and Rs 1.63 lakh in dues recovered from them.

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