At a bus stop in south Mumbai, a man hawks loudly beforeexpelling a mouthful of brown saliva into the road without a second thought --but unfortunately for him, the spit inspector is watching.
Rajeshree Rajaram Kamble, a 53-year-old grandmother dressedin a flowery tunic with matching blue shawl and trousers, strides towards herprey and firmly requests a fine of Rs 200 ($3.60).
The man appears surprised by her finger-wagglingadmonishment, and says he does not have any money on him.
“You can wash it away,” Kamble retorts, marching him to anearby sugarcane juice stall to get some water. “If you don't wash it, then youcan take off your clothes and clean it.”
The man is still reluctant and their row gets increasinglyheated.
Onlookers pause to watch as voices are raised “ “Sorry isnot enough!” Kamble insists -- until the man relents and sheepishly rinses awaythe evidence.
For Kamble, such altercations are just part of the job.“Everyday I fight with people,” she told AFP. “Nobody is interested in payingthe fine.”
Working for the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai(MCGM), she is one of 25 “nuisance detectors” taking on grown men and womenevery day over offences such as public littering, urinating and bathing on thestreet.
In such a dirty and overcrowded city, Kamble faces an uphillbattle but refuses to admit defeat against habits such as spitting, whichhealth experts believe may help to spread tuberculosis.
“Every time I see someone spitting, something happens insideme. My blood boils and I get very angry,” said Kamble, who goes out on patrolarmed with just a plastic identity tag and fine receipt book.
Spitting in a public place, unless a spittoon is provided,is banned under a 2006 Mumbai byelaw.
But across the country, many Indians spit regularly atstreet corners, out of car windows, onto and even inside buildings: few spacesare spared, especially from those who chew various mixtures of tobacco andareca nut.
In a boost for the anti-spit brigade, Maharashtra state --of which Mumbai is the capital -- is among several states to recently ban“gutka”, a mass-produced mix that is widely chewed and spat out, staining thestreets.
Raja Narasimhan, who set up the Spit Free India Campaign,does not have high hopes of a hygiene revolution on spitting, with gutka stillfound on the black market and its ingredients available separately.
“There's no way you can stop it,” he said. “Even peopledriving or riding in a Mercedes roll down the window and spit.”
Traditional handmade “paan” (areca and flavourings wrappedin betel leaf, sometimes with tobacco) remains a hugely popular palatecleanser.
