This activist can now penalise smokers puffing away in public
Mumbai: Its not just the police or civic babus who can object if youre caught smoking in public places and make you cough up a fine.
In a first, since the ban on smoking in public places has come into force on October 2, civic officials have handed over a receipt book to an antitobacco activist, Vincent Nazareth, of voluntary organisation Crusade Against Tobacco empowering him to fine violators.
While civic officials are still not sure about how much fine has been collected by their colleagues, Nazareth, who was handed over the book on Friday, has already penalised 20 offenders and contributed Rs 4,000 to the civic kitty.
According to the Centres new rule, Mumbaikars are banned from smoking in public places including hotels, theatres, stadiums, stations, bus stops, offices, pubs, coffee houses, bars and discotheques. An offender can be fined Rs 200.
Nazareth is a member of the monitoring committee and on a trial basis, I have given him a receipt book to penalise offenders, said additional municipal commissioner Kishore Gajbhiye. Nazareth has penalised 16 people smoking at the airport and four others in hotels around Santa Cruz. I went around with the airport police, said Nazareth.
Two CISF personnel, who had been earlier caught smoking in a public place and had been let off, were also later fined. TNN