Mumbai: Urban civic bodies in the State can now impose a fine of ₹500 for open defecation and ₹200 for urinating in the open, the government said as part of its cleanliness drive. A Government Resolution (GR) allowing civic officers to also fine citizens for throwing garbage in open spaces and spitting was issued by the State Urban Development Department (UD) on Saturday.
Activists called it an attempt to shift blame onto citizens, as the civic body hasn’t finished constructing toilets. The GR said, “The government has undertaken the Swachha Maharashtra campaign on the lines of Swachh Bharat campaign. Providing individual or public toilets where there are none, and keeping the city clean through effective solid waste management are two major parts of this drive.”
It also said that while civic bodies are segregating wet and dry waste for effective disposal, it’s expected that people too will participate actively, and those who don’t cooperate will be fined as per the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. It added that on October 1, 2017, all urban areas in the State were declared open defecation free.
Sitaram Shelar, convener, Pani Haq Samiti, which works in the city’s slums, said, “One cannot find a bigger lie than this. We’ve been petitioning the civic body, State government and even the Prime Minister’s Office ( PMO) to construct toilets in many city areas, but to no avail. I challenge civic officers to prove that most slum have toilets. This is an attempt to make a scapegoat of citizens to cover up their incompetency.”
“The government is fixing the fines for those individuals or organisations which are not adhering to the rules. All rights to slap the fine and collect the same are being given to the urban civic bodies,” said the GR. The fines decided by the government are mentioned in the box below.
Citing Siddharth Nagar in Andheri as an example, Mr. Shelar said the BMC hasn’t built toilets there despite orders from the PMO. “The BMC has a circular clearly stating that it cannot provide toilets and water to basti s erected after January 1, 2000. What type of ODF area are they talking about?”
