After many extortion complaints from public and irregularities in the contracts, the clean up marshal's action slows down over the last six months. The marshals who were appointed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to keep the city clean by slapping fine, could collect only Rs. 1.11 crore from August to December. Earlier in two years, the marshal collection fines up to Rs. 17 crores. Now the civic body is thinking to revive the plan.
To keep the city clean, the BMC appointed clean-up marshals across the city in July 2016 on a yearly contract. The marshals can slap a fine from Rs 100 to Rs. 500 for littering.
In the first year, the marshals collected Rs. 9 crores fine from the public. But at the same time, many citizens complained about the misbehaviour of the marshals. The BMC had given an extension of a year again and the Marshals collected Rs. 8 crores fine from July 2017 to July 2018. In the meantime complaints against clean-up marshals raised.
Following reports of these marshals looting people, failing to issue receipts for fines, the civic body has decided to blacklist contractors whose clean-up marshals have more than three complaints against them.
For the precautionary measure, the civic body decided to give an extension to contract only for four months and now they are working on the extension of three months.
"The ward level officer didn't want the marshal's agencies to continue after the complaints. The contracts have given on a temporary basis, that affects the performance of marshals and led to the loss of revenue" said an officer from the BMC.
In the last 6 month, from July to December 2018, the marshals collected only Rs. 1.1 crore across the city.
