Fines worth Rs 1 cr collected in Madurai

A fine amount of Rs 1,01,05,443 from people who have failed to adhere to the basic rules of wearing masks in public has been collected till August 20, the Collector said. Initially, a penalty of Rs 100 was imposed on each of those without face masks and it was brought into effect from May 13 and later, from June 16, the amount was increased to Rs 200 against each of the violators.

Further, the Collector said 10 flying squads led by Tahsildars, comprising officials from Departments of Police and the local administration intensified checks to ensure that all the people stepping out of their homes had face masks. Sources said the fine amount has been handed over to Disaster Management wings of Madurai Corporation and local bodies.