MUMBAI: With the threat of the third wave of coronavirus imminent, BMC and Mumbai Police have resumed penalizing over 10,000 Mumbaikars daily for not wearing face masks.
The peak was on September 6, when nearly 14,000 were fined. Data shows that people being penalised had dropped to below 5,000 till recently. But on August 29, civic chief I S Chahal, in a stern message to ward officers, said they must ensure Covid-appropriate behaviour among citizens at any cost, and that he would be monitoring the achievements of every ward.
Over the weekend people penalized for not wearing masks hovered around 10,000-12,000, which was double the number of those penalized last month. Civic records show that on August 14, 4,945 people were penalised.
Mumbai Police have joined hands with BMC to take action against anti-maskers. At the beginning of the second wave of Covid-19, BMC had given marshals a target to act against 25,000 citizens per day. A civic official said with the festive season around many more people are moving out and they tend to get lax.
“Marshals have been stationed at high footfall areas in the city,” he said, adding that there are orders to fine people on the spot for not wearing masks appropriately as it cannot be compromised at any cost, because it is not only unsafe for them but for fellow citizens who may come in their close proximity.
Following the Covid outbreak in March last year, BMC made masks mandatory. Violators were fined Rs200. Kalina corporator Tulip Miranda, where a video of a marshal clinging on to a moving car’s bonnet had gone viral on social media, said many were wearing masks out for fear.
