“The committee has given the go-ahead to increase the fine but some members have raised doubts about its enforcement,” said Datta Bahirat,
chairman of the committee, on Monday. “They fear malpractice could take
place at the ground level, hence the conditional approval.”

Bahirat said the main condition laid down by the committee included the
setting up of a scrutiny committee to ensure that those collecting the
fine did not make “compromises”.

“Since the fine will be high,
civic staff may let off those guilty by taking a bribe and not
registering an offence,” he said. “There should a monitoring system to
ensure that such malpractice does not happen,” he added.

The committee will have the right to conduct spot check-ups and suggest action against those who do not enforce the rules.

As per the civic administration’s proposal, the fine for spitting,
littering and urinating in public will go up from Rs 50 to Rs 200. Those
taking a bath in the open will now be fined Rs 100, while those held
for open defecation will be fined Rs 200 as against the old rate of Rs
50.

The PMC
has also introduced some new fines to prevent the dirtying of public
places. People feeding animals in public places will have to shell out
Rs 500 and those washing vehicles in public places will be fined Rs
1,000. Those washing clothes in public places will have to pay a fine of
Rs 200.

The civic administration hopes that the increased fine
will act as a deterrent and enable effective implementation of a
cleanliness drive in the city. After the proposal is okayed by the
general body, it will be implemented.