Not a fine move: Trader flouts plastic ban norm, pays ₹5,000 penalty in coins
PALGHAR: Charged ₹5,000 fine for storing banned plastic bags, a trader from Nalla Sopara, Amit Mehta, 43, decided to pay in the same coin, literally. He reached the local civic headquarters with plastic bags carrying the amount in coins on Thursday, ensuring two civic employees had to spend an hour counting it. At the end of the ordeal, when the staff pointed out that ₹70 was less, he paid that too in coins.
In the wake of the plastic ban in the state, the Vasai civic body has started a crackdown against traders using it. During a raid at his packaging material shop on Wednesday, Mehta was found to be hoarding thin plastic bags and issued a challan to pay a fine. Failing to pay the amount invites civic action, including suspension of licence for the shop.
“Mehta came to our office in the afternoon with three plastic bags full of coins. We told him he pay the amount online instead of doing this, but he said he was not netsavvy and only had coins. When asked why he got plastic bags, when he could have used a cloth one, he smirked,” said Sukhdev Darveshi, assistant municipal commissioner, Vasai civic corporation.
“Two of our employees then had to sit and count the coins, all in denominations of ₹1, ₹2, ₹5 and ₹10. On realising the amount fell short of ₹70, we called Mehta. He came to our office again and paid the amount in coins,” said Darveshi.