Mumbai: An evening with BMC's team in search of no-mask violators

Marine Drive is where people come to chill They still do but with masks on The fear of contracting the Coronavirus infection aside one would imagine that this forced coverup would help many especially young couples whod rather go unnoticed in this sea of huffing joggers sightseers and opacarophiles Not reallyFor the last few weeks the promenade has been surveyed by at least 25 BMCappointed contractual workers furtively glancing at every face for a maskless violatorApart from slapping a fine of R200 on violators the staff on duty also distributes free masks PicsSuresh KarkeraThis has resulted in tension of another kind Though boards warning against mask violation are displayed at regular intervals arguments between penalisers and visitors refusing to pay the fine of R200 have become common Usually harsh words are exchanged but in a worstcase scenario when tempers flare they also get into fisticuffs Having witnessed this while on the occasional stroll this writer decided to shadow the staff whom we learn have reached the end of their tetherEarlier this week midday had reported how citizens encouraged by a fall in cases were becoming careless by ignoring the use of masks Between November 14 and December 13 BMC officials had collected a fine of R733 crore from 366 lakh maskless citizens The figures officials said were a cause for concern considering that the civic staff had fined 317 lakh people from April 9 and November 13 collecting R67 croreWe joined Anand Mete and Lahu Bangar junior ward overseers with the solid waste management department of the BMC during a weekday evening at the promenade The duo along with other BMC officers has been assigned to monitor the work of the contractual workers whove been stationed at key spots across the city and work 247 on a rota basis Both Mete and Bangar work in the A Ward which includes Churchgate Colaba Navy Nagar and a part of the Marine Drive stretch Post work hours we are expected to visit one of these spots daily and ensure that all rules are being followed by the visitors as well as the hired staff says Mete Mostly the BMC team is accompanied by patrolling police officials They assist us when things get ugly or if people dont cough up fines adds Bangar On an average the BMC sees at least 300 to 400 violators daily from A Ward alone and a decent chunk of these fines are collected from Marine Drive This spot is most sensitive because it has a floating population The visitors come from all parts of Mumbai and even outside the city Unlike the locals who live in the vicinity its difficult to track these tourists If they have already contracted the virus they become spreaders and thats the biggest risk Thats why everyone needs to wear a maskThe fine receipt that is given to the mask violatorsThe team begins work at 530 pm from the Marine Drive police chowkie situated at the culdesac in Nariman Point Mete carries a bag of masks a phone and a fine receipt book We take a picture before approaching them so that there is physical evidence of the violation We also give every violator a free mask he sharesThe sun is just about to set and a large group of young men sitting opposite Trident Hotel clad in white shirts and black trousers are seen taking selfies against the scenic view None of them are wearing masks They are the BMC teams first target Mete immediately takes out his phone and clicks a picture of one of them The others in the group hurriedly wear their masks As he tears out a receipt one among them blurts out as if warning You know my father is a corporator We know the rules too so you dont need to fine us While they pay the fine after some haranguing they demand that the photograph taken by the midday photographer be deleted They refuse to budge until the police interveneWalking down the stretch the BMC officials chat up with the contractual staff checking if anything untoward has happened during the day A staff member who hasnt come in uniformmdashthe BMC jacketmdashis reprimanded Her excuse is that she hasnt had the time to wash it but has brought her ID card along Bangar asks her to call it a day immediately and not show up again if she doesnt come in uniform People claim that they are being conned by men and women masquerading as BMC staff We want to keep this as transparent as possible he saysAnother few are fined before Mete gets hold of a young couple The woman is in a burqa but the man doesnt have a mask on him and is sipping cola He very matteroffactly tells the officers that he lost his mask at a public bathroom six hours ago When they ask him to pay up the fine he says he doesnt have the money on him A little haggling later he bargains to pay up R100 It takes the cops for him to get up and retrieve his wallet from his vehicle Mete admits that he is doubly cautious when approaching couples because many raise a stink when their photographs are taken as they are here mostly for privacy Some dont pay the fine if we dont delete the picturesIts the last pair of collegegoing girls that they catch who leave the BMC officers amused The girls say they had removed their masks because they were videocalling one of their mothers who wanted to see their faces When they dont buy the excuse the girl in spectacles says her glasses tend to fog when she breathes into the mask making it difficult for her see in the dark The girls are asked to leave We didnt fine them because they are young and its unlikely that they will have enough pocket money We have to make exceptions sometimes says Mete We have also been instructed not to fine joggers with their masks down If the elderly who are most at risk are wearing one but not properly officials let them go with a warningWard incharge Vilas Pawar whose company Security Intelligence Service India Ltd has been hired for the job says that during the weekend his staff picks up at least 500 violators from Marine Drive alone We face a lot of trouble while collecting fines While this is being done for public good we get abused threatened and assaulted for doing our job Once a walker pulled the receipt from us and started running How do you expect us to give chase For the same reason we send all thestaff in pairs because its impossible to handle them alone For everything else theres always the patrolling police on their Segway electric scooters36 lakhNumber of violators fined by BMC from Nov 14 to Dec 13Keep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news