In the past one week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has inspected 3,938 chemists across the state and found that at least 167 of them were selling masks at rates higher than the mandate set by the state government.
As per reports, in view of the situation, the FDA has written to the district collectors asking them to take adequate action against these chemists. In the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, however, action has been initiated against 39 chemists.
Furthermore, this news has created ruckus across manufacturers and chemists as they have complained of massive losses following the price capping regulation. Chemists who had earlier bought the old stock of face masks now have to sell these masks at a lower price which has led to the retailer’s association to reach out to the government to come up with a solution for the said problem.
On the other hand, Mumbai’s civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started imposing fines and penalizing the citizens who do not wear masks over the last few weeks. Official data released by the respective department states that fines worth ₹3.5 crores has been recovered so far from the city.
The Central Government along with the respective State Governments had earlier mandated the use of wearing face masks. Earlier, the government had set a fine of ₹1,000, however, in the current scenario, the BMC has been charging ₹200 from people for flouting the rules for the same.
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