Mask-less people are not ready to pay fines: Mumbai police

Police stop people not wearing masks or wearing them incorrectly at the Modella check naka at Mulund, on Monday. Pic/Rajesh Gupta

Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale has given each police station in the city a target of penalising 100 mask-less daily, which is 1,000 people in each zone. The fine for not wearing a mask or wearing it incorrectly is Rs 200, as decided by the BMC, which has authorised the police to collect it. But the police told mid-day they are already burdened as Section 144 has been imposed in the city along with night curfew, and now this new target of fining 1,000 people is coming in the way of their work.

The former police commissioner, Param Bir Singh, had also given each zone the same target of 1,000 cases a day in March 2021.

A policeman collects fines from maskless persons near the Vakola police station on Monday. Pic/Rajesh Gupta

Every police station received orders regarding the fine from the Deputy Police Commissioner (DCP) last Saturday. Of the Rs 200 collected by cops as fine, Rs 100 will go to the Police Welfare Fund and the rest will go to the BMC. Till September 2021 Mumbai police collected around Rs 9.01 crore in fines from those not wearing masks and also from those flouting COVID-19 restrictions from 4.5 lakh people.

More cases = more work

Speaking to mid-day, a Senior Police Inspector said, "On Saturday we received an order from the DCP to collect fines. We divide the work in our team and give targets to each cop, of at least 10 people. Now the cases have increased. It is difficult to complete the target but somehow we are managing it."

Another Senior Police Inspector said, "Last year also we were given a target to collect fines from at least 1,000 people from each zone. I instructed staff to complete the target and it is difficult to complete it, but we are managing it. People are not ready to pay fines and every cop is facing this issue."

'Save yourselves and others'

A DCP said, "We have certain orders which are verbal, and have instructed every police station to collect maximum fine from violators. We also have been asked by the BMC to collect maximum fine from the people not wearing masks in public places. People should wear masks in public to save themselves and others."

A police report from January 3, 2020 to March 23, 2021, said around 3,76,915 cases of COVID safety measures violators were registered under Section IPC 188 of the Pandemic Act. The total fine collected was Rs 1,91,34,39,418."

Rs 200
The fine for not wearing a mask

Rs 200
The fine that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has set for those caught without masks or wearing them incorrectly