Aurangabad, Dec 21:
A vigilance squad, Nagrik Mitra Pathak, formed by Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), has collected fine of Rs 55.78 lakh from 11,157 irresponsible citizens for posing a health threat to fellow citizens by not wearing face masks in the public places and markets. The fine is collected from May 1 to December 20.
The squad (also called as NMP) is functioning under the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Cell of the AMC. When contacted the head-SWM Cell, Nandkishore Bhombe said, " The NMP comprises of 70 ex-servicemen. The AMC jurisdiction has 115 wards which are divided into nine zones. Hence, we had formed zone wise squad to keep a vigil on the situation and detect the citizens for not wearing face masks or violating other norms causing health danger for others in the society. The squad collects a fine of Rs 500 from each violator. The squad members are on toes since the offering of relaxations during the lockdown period. The AMC administrator had ordered to take strict action and even instructed to file offence if the violator is detected for the second time. The decision aims at keeping the situation under control and ensure the safety of the citizens."
Earlier, in the first week of October, the AMC squad had claimed of collecting a fine of Rs 33 lakh from 7,000 irresponsible citizens for not wearing masks in the past three months. The receipt against the fine collected is given on the spot to the violator.