In the more than five months since the Jan Vishwas Act was implemented in Delhi, around 28,000 fine receipts have been issued by the Municipal Corporation (MCD). Through this, fines amounting to Rs. 2.31 crore have been imposed, an official said on Tuesday.
He further said: Of the total fine receipts, action has been taken in only one-fourth of the cases for offences such as urinating in public places, illegally dumping garbage, and defacing public spaces.
From the end of May until October 28, a total of 27,915 fine receipts have been issued. Of these, about 7,000 receipts were issued under the category of acts causing public nuisance. Acts such as urinating in public places, damaging public property, pasting posters without permission, and dumping garbage in public places are considered offenses under Section 397 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act.
According to the official statistics available in this regard, out of a total of 27,915 fine receipts issued, Rs. 99.15 lakh has been collected for 16,281 receipts. The fine amount of Rs. 1.32 crore for the remaining 11,634 receipts has still not been paid.
An examination of the offense-wise statistics from August 1 to October 30 shows that 3,633 fine receipts have been issued under Sections 397(1), 397(2), and 397(3) of the Municipal Corporation Act for acts causing public nuisance.
As a result, a fine of Rs. 18.16 lakh has been imposed. Based on the available statistics, when calculated over the extended period, the number of fine receipts issued for such offenses may have exceeded 7,000.
Of this, Rs. 9.05 lakh has been collected for 1,810 receipts. The remaining Rs. 9.11 lakh for 1,823 receipts is still pending. For keeping garbage and waste uncleared for more than 24 hours, 3,180 fine receipts have been issued under Section 357(1) of the Municipal Corporation Act. A fine of Rs. 3.18 lakh has been imposed for this.
Similarly, 2,764 fine receipts were issued and a fine of Rs. 5.52 lakh was imposed for allowing sewage and dirty materials to flow onto the roads. For failing to comply with the municipal corporation’s orders regarding the removal or control of activities causing inconvenience to the public, 971 fine receipts have been issued under Section 398 of the Act.
557 fine receipts were issued for failing to make proper arrangements for collecting and disposing of garbage, and 440 receipts were issued for failing to collect and dispose of waste and polluting materials. In market areas, 276 fine receipts were issued for failing to remove garbage despite being ordered to do so.
117 fine receipts were issued for failing to install or maintain clean toilets in premises used by large numbers of people. 103 receipts were issued for failing to provide toilet facilities in markets, cattle sheds, and cart parking areas.
Highest fines in the Environmental Management Department: Among the corporation’s 9 departments, the Environmental Management Services Department (D.E.M.S.) has issued the highest number of fine receipts, with 15,961. Through this, fines totaling Rs. 98.11 lakh have been imposed. Of these, Rs. 41.86 lakh has been collected as fines for 10,773 receipts.
The remaining Rs. 56.25 lakh is pending. On behalf of the Public Health Department, 3,904 receipts have been issued for fines totaling Rs. 61.60 lakh, and on behalf of its malaria prevention unit, 5,599 receipts have been issued for fines totaling Rs. 30.77 lakh. On behalf of the Licensing Department, 1,334 receipts have been issued, and on behalf of the Animal Husbandry Department, 623 receipts have been issued.
More action in the Old Delhi area: Based on the municipal corporation’s zones, the City-SP zone, which includes Old Delhi, has issued the highest number of penalty receipts at 6,066. Fines totaling Rs. 32.48 lakh have been imposed through this. Of these, Rs. 18.03 lakh for 4,636 receipts has been collected.
Some aspects of the Indore Municipal Corporation’s practice of rewarding those who follow the rules and imposing strict fines on those who violate them can also be followed in Delhi.
Meanwhile, the corporation has been using a digital fine receipt system linked to the 311 mobile app to enable the public to file complaints about municipal violations and to impose fines on them. Through this, all complaints and violations are recorded electronically.
This has made it easier for corporation officials to monitor action taken against violations and to continue taking action on public complaints, the official said.
