In an interesting development, the Pune District Administration has collected Rupees 1.1 crore in a month as a fine for not wearing masks and spitting in public places.

As per an Indian Express report, the whopping penalty was collected from 13 Tehsils of the district as part of an intensive drive to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the rural areas of the district.

Pune has seen a steady rise in fresh cases, especially from its rural areas. On Wednesday, those areas posted more than 18,000 fresh cases. Pune hinterland has recorded 525 deaths so far.

The report quoted Ayush Prasad, Chief Executive Officer of Pune Zilla Parishad as saying, "in just a month, the administration had collected Rs 1.1 crore from such violators."

He further said that the penalty for not wearing mask was Rupees 500. Besides, Gram Panchayats, depending on villages, also charged between Rupees 100 and 200 for violating social distancing norms.

Maharashtra has been one of the worst-affected Indian states by COVID-19. Just a day ago, the state's total infected tally had crossed that of the South American country Peru.