NEW DELHI: As part of its efforts to improve civic sense in Delhi, govt has proposed a 10-fold increase in penalty for offences such as urinating in the streets, failing to prevent children below 12 years of age from relieving themselves at any public place, spilling filth and affixing posters on monuments, buildings, walls or trees and disturbing public peace by playing loudspeakers. These changes have been proposed in the Jan Vishwas Bill that seeks to amend several provisions of Delhi Municipal Corporation Act and NDMC Act. Offences under “commission of nuisances” will attract a penalty of Rs 500 compared to the current fine of Rs 50. Focus on deterrence, ending age-old token fines The Jan Vishwas Bill also proposes to increase the penalty for people not keeping their dogs on a leash on the streets and failure to put a muzzle on “ferocious dogs” to Rs 1,000 as against Rs 50 at present. At the same time, govt has proposed to omit certain archaic provisions. For example, the provision of Rs 25 fine for the washing of clothes and bedding by washermen or dhobis at non-designated places will be dropped, as will be the Rs 100 fine for breaking any public lamp. On the need for increasing the penalty for some offences, an official said the overhaul seeks to replace decades-old, token fines – some as low as Rs 25 – with higher penalties that can act as effective deterrents. The amendments also aim to decriminalise several minor civic offences by removing provisions for jail terms, including those related to violations of municipal bye-laws. “The objective is to make enforcement stricter and more relevant in a rapidly growing city. The focus is shifting from criminalisation to deterrence through sharper monetary penalties, as the fines under DMC Act have become symbolic over time and lost their deterrent value amid inflation,” the official said. Failure by owners or occupiers of premises to remove filth or polluted matter, which currently attracts a fine of Rs 50, will invite a warning for the first offence and a penalty of Rs 500 for a repeat violation. Dumping substances emitting foul smells at public places will also attract penalties of up to Rs 500, compared with the earlier cap of Rs 50. The amendments also tighten norms relating to licensing, which civic bodies have struggled to enforce. Street vendors and hawkers operating without permits may face penalties of Rs 200, while failure to produce licences or permissions on demand could attract fines of Rs 100. Livestock-related violations – a persistent issue in several parts of the city – have been dealt with more stringently. Keeping or trading animals without a licence may draw penalties of up to Rs 1,000. Operating private markets or slaughterhouses without licences will uniformly attract penalties of Rs 500. The bill also proposes removing imprisonment provisions for several minor civic offences. Municipal sweepers who resign without notice or fail to perform duties – earlier punishable with up to one month’s imprisonment – will no longer face jail terms. The amendments proposed to the NDMC Act also include replacing the Annual Rateable Value system of property tax with the unit area method across NDMC areas. The move aims to make property tax assessment more transparent and predictable by linking it to property size, location and usage, and align NDMC’s system with the one followed by Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Mayor Raja Iqbal said both Delhi govt and MCD are working on major reforms. “We are not only improving existing facilities but also adding new ones and revamping infrastructure wherever required. Our effort is to minimise or do away with the burden of fines on residents for their convenience, but we also expect them to cooperate and contribute towards making Delhi a clean and green city,” he said.
