The Delhi police have collected ₹26.72 crore in fines from people not wearing masks or following social distancing rules in public places from June 15 until November 19.
A total of 5,35,167 people have been fined for violating social distancing norms, not wearing masks or spitting in public places. The maximum number of violators were those found roaming in marketplaces or travelling in cars without wearing a mask. A senior police officer clarified that people travelling alone in a car have to wear mask as well — something upheld recently by the Delhi High Court as well.
“We have not only fined people for not wearing mask but also distributed more than four lakh masks to needy Delhiites. We always ensure that underprivileged people do not get harassed while enforcing mask violation rules We have undertaken drives to spread awareness and held several meetings with market welfare associations and resident welfare associations,” said Eish Singhal, PRO, Delhi Police. The police have also run awareness campaigns on radio, newspapers and other media.
“Apart from fining people, we also register an FIR in case there is a violation of social distancing rules because of any protest march or a gathering of people larger than the permitted number,” he said.
Old fine amount
The Delhi Police PRO said that they haven’t received any notification regarding the city government’s November 18 decision to create greater deterrence by enhancing the fine from ₹500 to ₹2,000 and are continuing to enforce the earlier amount as of now.
On June 14, ₹500 on-the-spot penalty was fixed for not wearing a mask in public place under a rule passed by the Delhi government under the Delhi Epidemic Diseases, COVID19 Regulations, 2020, duly approved by the L-G.
The police have been solely entrusted with the responsibility of enforcing COVID-19 rule violations after the Delhi Traffic Police was withdrawn from such duties on September 8 and asked to focus again on their core role.
