JANUARY 11: Here is a warning for those who have been flouting civic rules with impunity. Violating the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation 's (BMC) Act will now become a costly affair with the state cabinet clearing a Urban Development Department (UDD) proposal to hike the penalty by five to ten times.The cabinet took the decision during its two-day long meeting on economic and administrative reforms held at Sahyadri Guest House in South Mumbai.``The demand of the BMC to hike the penalty charges was pending with the government for quite some time,''said Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh during the post-cabinet press briefing today.The decision, to be followed by an amendment in the BMC Act, will authorise the corporation to increase the penalty charges by five to ten times.This means, a person encroaching upon the BMC land or erecting any illegal structure will have to probably pay ten times more than the present fine levied by the BMC. Or a citizen getting an illegal water supply connection will have to cough up a much heavier penalty if he is caught by the civic authorities.At present, the penalty charged by BMC is a minimum of Rs 10 to Rs 200 upto a maximum Rs 200 to Rs 2500 for different offences. The corporation normally charges penalty for illegal constructions on its land, creating obstruction to public by encroaching upon any public place, violation of development rules, cutting trees, running an eating house or serving food without the permission of the corporation and many other such offences.A provision for sentencing the offender seven days simple imprisonment will also be made in the act, Deshmukh disclosed.``The penalty charges had not been raised in several years although there were major amendments in the Act in recent times,''said Municipal Commissioner V Ranganathan. He said the proposal had been sent by the BMC to the state government sometime ago, with a motive to augment its revenue.The fees charged by the BMC for regularising illegal constructions,however, will not be hiked.Ticketless travellers on BEST buses had also better beware. The cabinet has also given its nod to hike the penalty for ticketless travellers in BEST buses from the present Rs 10 upto Rs 100.The amendments will be made in section 272 (a) of the Act for which the bill will be introduced in the budget session of the state legislature, Deshmukh said.
