Mumbai: BMC boss fires warning shot for all hall owners

As it scrambles to contain the resurgence of coronavirus in the city the BMC on Monday said it will take action against the owners and management of hotels restaurants and marriage halls if anyone is found without a mask on their premises The decision to widen the ambit of the safety norms came after civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal held a review meetingCommuters without masks on a CR local train on Monday PicAtul KambleChahal met top Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC officials and experts from corporationrun hospitals to review availability of beds facilities at isolation and quarantine setups jumbo COVID centres ward war rooms and the overall management of cases including sealed buildingsldquoThe commissioner has instructed civic officials that everyone is required to wear the mask at weddings gymkhanas clubs nightclubs restaurants movie theatres religious places playgrounds parks shopping malls and other public places and private officesrdquo said a BMC official who did not wish to be namedThe civic body already capped the maximum number of people at weddings religious and family functions to a maximum of 50ldquoCinema halls theatres restaurants and private offices will allow 50 per cent of their total capacity If it is found that these limits have been violated and masks are not found to be used in such places then the persons concerned will be fined and even the establishment or the management will be prosecutedrdquo the official saidDriver of a concrete mixer vehicle pays fine to a health worker for violation of COVID19 safety rules at Borivli West on Monday PicNimesh DaveAsking his team to be ready for microlevel planning if infections continue to rise Chahal said it is mandatory to leave quarantine marks on the hands of homeisolated asymptomatic patients If such patients are found roaming in public places or outside their home an FIR would be lodged against them added the officialThe BMC chief has asked for involvement of office bearers of housing societies in COVID19 management efforts The aim is to make isolation of quarantine persons more effective and managing the daily needs of such individuals and their families said officialsSources said Chahal wants personnel at lsquoward war roomsrsquo to call asymptomatic patients four times a day to ensure they are at homeMeanwhile continuing itscrackdown the civic body has begun filing cases against owners of gyms restaurants pubs and bars for noncompliance of COVID19appropriate behaviour on their remisesMaskless pay up Rs 28LThe BMC collected over Rs 282 lakh from 14100 people roaming without a mask on Monday It had netted 16000 people on February 20 So far the BMC has penalised over 16 lakh citizens and made them cough up R324 crore collectively14100No of people fined for not wearing a mask on Monday