Apart from a hefty increase in the fine, it has been proposed to add eight hours of community service, by cleaning government offices and public hospitals, to the penalties for spitting.
Maharashtra Health Minister Deepak Sawant has proposed changes to the punishment for those caught spitting tobacco on the streets in the state. Apart from a hefty increase in the fine, Mr Sawant has also proposed to add eight hours of community service, by cleaning government offices and public hospitals, to the penalties for spitting.
The proposal has been forwarded to the state's law and judiciary department for legal opinion, and is likely to come up in the Budget Session of the Maharashtra Assembly, that commenced today.
"When a person spits out of a luxury car, a 200 rupee fine means nothing to him. He can easily pay the penalty. But, when he is asked to clean one public space as punishment for dirtying another space, it can serve as real penalty," Mr Sawant told NDTV.
He believes such a proposal would also serve to bring down the use of tobacco in the state. The opposition, however, was cynical of the possible effectiveness of this method.
"It is already an offence to spit in public places. If the government is really serious about the issue, they should implement existing laws. Then, there will be no need for childish proposals like this," Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam said.
The proposal has met with cautious optimism fro, civil society groups, who say its implementation would be the key.
"The proposal is great on paper, but the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) will say they don't have enough manpower and the police is already stretched thin. Who will supervise the community service? Power needs to be delegated and a proper plan on implementation and supervision needs to be chalked out," said Naveen Madan, of Advance Locality Management, a partnership between the Municipal Corporation and citizens for better waste management in residential areas.
"We have been informing people about the fallouts of spitting in open spaces. We've tried educating them about diseases, cleanliness and importance of public property but there is no fear of law", said Dayanand Mohite, secretary of the Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Sanitation and Community Health, a Mumbai-based NGO.