State prepares draft Bill in order to crack down on those spitting in public places
Spitting is an offence and, if you've been managing to escape by paying paltry fines so far, bear in mind that now it might land you in jail.
The state health department is all set to bring in a strong anti-spitting Bill in the upcoming budget session. The move is following a sharp rise in infectious diseases across the state, mainly TB. The department wants to bring in a law that will discourage people from spitting in public places, and attract heavy fines.
To avoid any legal hitch and pass it in assembly session, department officials are taking the opinion of the law and judiciary department. The Bill is expected to come up for discussion in session in March.
Spitting in public places, which is actually a health hazard, has been going on unabated in city and across the state, be it housing societies, railway stations, public parks, office premises, or hospital campuses. Many also spit on staircases and lift corners. Most paan shops have their own spittoons and dustbins, but anyone hardly pays attention to those.
State health minister Deepak Sawant said, "We are working on the Bill, the draft is almost ready and we are sending it to the law and judiciary department for a legal opinion. We are also checking the provision of sending repeat offenders to jail. We have involved the transport department, civic bodies and a few NGOs working in this field in preparing the Bill."
"Currently, spitting attracts a small fine, and in a majority of cases, also leads to fights between the marshals and members of the public because there is no strict law. Once this Bill is passed, the anti-spitting law will be implementing across the state," he added.
"In this Bill, we will definitely increase the fine. We are also conferring with the home department on what punishment should be given to repeat offenders. And if someone spits from his/her car, there should be a provision for suspending that person's licence... All these possibilities are being looked into. I hope people will support this Bill."
Chairman of the state action committee, Indian Medical Association, Dr Anil Pachnekar welcomed the move and said, "We are with the government on this one, everyone must support it. We have sent a note to all our members, saying they should educate people about the new law. We are also creating awareness among people on why it's dangerous to spit in public places."
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