Fines up to Rs. 500 to be imposed by ECoR on people not wearing mask

Passengers not wearing a face mask on the train or railway station will have to pay hefty fines to ECoR officials now. As announced by Indian Railways on Saturday, those passengers who are not wearing a face mask or wearing, but not properly will have to pay up to Rs. 500 as penalty. This ruling will stand for a period of 6 months until further instructions follow.

As per sources in ECoR (East Coast Railway), passengers will be warned repeatedly through the passenger announcement system to wear a face mask and maintain physical distancing before imposing fines. If any passenger is found violating the rule, which includes not wearing a face mask or littering on the train or station premises, a penalty up to Rs. 500 will be imposed. This fine is being imposed under the Indian Railways (Penalties for Activities Affecting Cleanliness at Railway Premises) Rules, 2012, which mentions guidelines as to imposing fines on people spitting or perform acts of similar nature, on railway premises.

ECoR officials like RPF (Railway Protection Force) personnel and Ticket Collectors at the railway stations have been charged with imposing these fines on the violators. Additionally, CCTV cameras placed on the premises of major railway stations like Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram will be utilized by the East Coast Railway officials to review the above-mentioned violations.

Passengers can report anyone not wearing a face mask or following physical distancing protocols by contacting railway personnel on 139.

This has been done in view of the rising Covid-19 cases throughout the country. On Friday, the number of daily Covid-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh crossed 6,000. The city of Visakhapatnam itself witnessed a rise of 50 from Thursday.