‘Anything but ban paan masala’: Mumbai Metro’s ‘spit bin’ makes some queasy

The unusual facility was highlighted by X user Zoru Bhathena, who posted a photograph of the bin with the caption 'My Mumbai Metro, Now with dedicated Spitting Zones'.

2 min readNew DelhiSep 30, 2026 06:42 PM IST

Described as the “world’s first defined place to spit”, the facility comes with instructions in both Marathi and English explaining how commuters are expected to use it.

Mumbai Metro commuters now have a designated spot to do something they are generally asked not to do in public—spit.

A “spit bin” has been installed at a Mumbai Metro station, offering commuters a specific place to spit. The irony, however, has not gone unnoticed: Metro rules state that spitting on the premises can attract a Rs 500 fine.

X user Zoru Bhathena highlighted the unusual facility by posting a photograph of the bin with the caption “My Mumbai Metro, Now with dedicated Spitting Zones”.

Story continues below. Subscribe to see fewer ads.

The image shows a touchless bin installed at the station, with a sign above it carrying the logos of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and Maha Mumbai Metro. The sign also features a message: “Be responsible”.

Described as the “world’s first defined place to spit”, the facility comes with instructions in both Marathi and English explaining how commuters are expected to use it. The unit is labelled a “Touchless spit bin”, meaning users do not have to physically touch the bin.

Ezyspit, a company working on solutions to address public spitting, developed the bin. Text displayed on the bin claims that it “locks viruses in 10 seconds”.

Check out the post:

My Mumbai Metro

Now with dedicated Spitting Zones pic.twitter.com/o8l8sYcbAu

— Zoru Bhathena (@zoru75) September 27, 2026

The photograph soon sparked a debate online, with some users viewing the facility as an attempt to manage a common public habit, while others questioned whether a designated spitting area contradicts the Metro’s own rules.

Story continues below this ad

“This is so wrong. There should be no spitting in the first place. I have visited about 112 countries from super rich to pathetically poor one, but I never found a single person anywhere in the world spitting in public,” one user wrote.

“Nice! Hope the instructions are clear. How low to bend to spit. Where to stand while spitting. Interested to see the same picture in one week,” another commented.

“They’ll do anything BUT ban paan masaala,” a third user added.

Loading Recommendations...

Oct 05: Latest News

Live Blog