Covid-19: Rs 200 fine for spitting in public places in Odisha
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha on Friday imposed fine on those spitting in public places. “While the fine amount will be Rs 200 for the first three violations, the amount will go up to Rs 500 after that,” chief secretary Asit Tripathy said.
The Odisha Covid-19 Regulations 2020 framed under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 has been modified making spitting a cognizable and compoundable offence, the top bureaucrat said. Block extension officers, assistant sub-inspectors of police and municipal ward officers and higher rank officers can impose fine on spitting.
“Apart from being an important step to prevent spread of novel coronavirus, avoiding spitting in public places will be an important move to check spread of many diseases. People should cooperate for such an initiative in their own interest and in larger public interest,” the chief secretary said.
Government insiders said the decision was taken as per the advisory of the Centre. Two districts in Odisha—Ganjam and Bhadrak—had already made spitting in public places an offence recently. On March 14, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation had announced to impose Rs 500 fine on any of its staff caught spitting in public places.
Earlier on April 13, chief minister Naveen Patnaik had said Covid-19 is an opportunity to quit spitting paan in public, a widely prevalent menace in Odisha.
-
Download
-
Subscribe
Start Your Daily Mornings with Times of India Newspaper! Order Now