AHMEDABAD: Defying law is proving costly to Gujaratis who have already paid Rs 247 crore for not wearing masks during the Covid-19 pandemic and also coughed up Rs 101 crore in fines for venturing out during curfew hours between June 2020 and June 22, 2021.
Ultimately, the law offenders paid around Rs 348 crore which means, on an average Covid protocol violators paid nearly Rs 1 crore every day.
A senior police officer told TOI, “We have fined 36.8 lakh people for not wearing masks in a year.
They paid Rs 247 crore in fines.
This means, we have fined around 8,000 to 9,000 people every day.” Besides the mask cases, around 6.8 lakh people were fined for violating curfew norms by venturing out with their vehicles and were cumulatively fined Rs 101 crore under Section 207 of the Motor Vehicles Act 1988, said the officer.
Under this section, a cop can fine a person if he or she cannot produce a pass or permit for roaming during curfew.
“On an average, Rs 95 lakh in fines, which is nearly a crore, were collected every day over the year taking both the offences together.
This huge fine collection was received even after cops were bit lenient during festival and election season,” said a police officer.
Another police officer said that people did not cultivate the habit of wearing masks even after they witnessed two killer waves of the Covid-19 infections.
“Like helmets, people usually wear masks when they see cops and remove it or pull it under their chins.
They should understand that if they wear a mask, then only they can be saved from the Covid infection,” said a police officer.
The officer said that apart from the monetary fines, state police registered 5.13 lakh cases under IPC sections 188 (for defying notification duly promulgated by government officer) and Section 269 (negligent act which may spread infection).
These cases under IPC sections 188 and 269 were registered mainly during weddings along with other religious and social gatherings held without obtaining police permission.