It has been three months since I’ve started travelling to Panjim on a regular basis and what has caught my attention is the constant and shameless spitting that takes place in the capital city. I made it a point to write about this problem at the earliest before I became resistant towards such sights of abhorrence. Spitting in public is an act which is uncultured and lacks class and if most of you did not know it is also a criminal offence punishable under the Goa Prohibition of Smoking and Spitting Act, 1997.
I would like to bring to the attention of the general public the important provisions of the Act of 1997. The main prohibitory provisions of the Act are Ss. 5 & 6. Section 5 states that, “No person shall smoke or spit in any place of public work or use”. Whereas section 6 states that, “no person shall smoke or spit while travelling in or using a public service vehicle”. The penalizing section is S. 11 which states that any person who contravenes Ss. 5 & 6 shall be punishable with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees and in the case of second or subsequent offence, shall be punishable with a minimum fine of two thousand rupees, but which may extend to five thousand rupees. Very often while travelling in buses we see our fellow commuters spit from the bus window. This amounts to a clear contravention of “Ss. 5 &” 6 stated above and therefore invites penalty under S.11 also stated above. Additionally, S. 12 empowers the conductor/driver to eject the offender from the bus. Section 12 states that, “Any authorized officer or any police officer, not below the rank of a sub-inspector, may eject any person who contravenes any provisions of this Act, from the place of public work or use, and any driver/conductor of a public service vehicle may eject any person who contravenes any provisions of this Act in the public service vehicles, from the public service vehicle”.
The words “place of public work or use” includes auditoria, cinema/conference/ seminar halls, hospital buildings, health institutions, court buildings, educational institutions, libraries, places of worship, airports, buses, bus station/stands, ferry boats, waiting rooms at railway stations, restaurants, eating houses/hotel lounges, other waiting lounges, amusement centers, beaches, sports stadia, public offices and the like . However, most of us must’ve seen people spitting within the premises of the Osia movie theatre.
