Spit at your own risk: Now, Pune Corporation will make you clean up after yourself if you spit in public 

In a new initiative, the Pune Municipal Corporation has said that anyone who spits in public places has to wipe it off on their own and will be fined Rs 100 to boot
Representational image
Representational image

While commuting via public transport or while walking through any public place you'll always observe people spitting on the walls or street with little concern for the people around. All the 'gyaan' regarding keeping our surroundings clean goes unheard. In fact, you will likely notice government offices where whole corners are painted red due to people spitting 'Gutkha' unabashedly.

To counter this, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has come up with a unique cleanliness drive for making people aware of the importance of cleanliness. The PMC has announced that anyone who spits in public places has to wipe it off on their own and a fine of Rs 100 will also be imposed. Under the watch of Avinash Sakpal, the Ward Officer of Bibwewadi area of Pune, municipal officials have launched the programme. Twenty-five people have been punished till now for spitting on the roads. The PMC has also employed 41 officers who are going to be on the streets from 6.30 am to 8.30 pm on a daily basis to create awareness on sanitation and cleanliness. 

Pune Municipal Commissioner Saurabh Rao, while speaking to several news organisations, said that this step has been taken to create awareness as well as to teach an effective lesson to citizens so that they think twice before spitting in public places. Rao said that imposing monetary penalties alone were not working, which is why they decided to take this step. Speaking to India Today, Rao added, "People should realise that garbage and dirt that is created is cleaned by another human being only."

The initiative has gained mixed reactions from the common public. While some have shown support, others have also called it too harsh a punishment. Rao said that this initiative has also been created to reach out to people ahead of Swachh Survekshan 2019 — a government-run survey conducted every year to check the cleanliness and sanitation of cities across the country. Earlier in 2018, Pune made it to the list of top 10 cleanest cities in the country.

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