On the line of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) has appointed an agency to provide clean-up marshals across the city. The clean-up marshals will ensure the cleanliness of the city and collect fines from people littering the city. They will also assist the civic body in taking action against the single-use of plastic.
A proposal to appoint an agency was cleared during the standing committee meeting held on Wednesday on a revenue-sharing basis. While the civic body will keep 69% of fines collected from citizens for violating rules, the agency appointed will get the remaining 31%.
While the clean-up marshals have been severely criticized in Mumbai for harassing common citizens in the name of cleanliness, the five years civic body is exploring options to generate revenue. The issue of property tax collection has not yet been resolved as many citizens are not ready to pay retrospective taxes.
While cleaning the proposal, the civic chief termed it making the city hygiene and creating a sense of responsibility among residents.
As per the proposal cleared by the standing committee, a fine of Rs 150 will be collected for littering on public roads, and Rs 100 for open urination. Similarly, the clean-up marshal will collect Rs 500 for open defecation, and Rs 100 for spitting.
If any commercial establishment is found with the banned single-use plastic, the clean-up marshal along with civic officials will collect Rs 5,000 for a first offense, Rs 10,000 for the second offense, and Rs 25,000 for the third offense.
As segregation of waste is important to ensure less quantity waste reach ay the dumping ground, a Rs 50 will be collected if the waste is not segregated for the first time and Rs 100 for the second time. If the same person does not segregate the waste, he will have to pay a fine of Rs 150.
Now, like Mumbai, the clean-up marshal will collect Rs 200 fines from people for not wearing masks will have to pay Rs 200 and Rs 1000 for spitting in the public market and in crowded areas.
However, the majority of the residents echoed that the civic body first provide a sufficient number of public toilets to prevent people from urinating in open spaces.
