that one-day salary of those BMC staff would be deducted who would be caught setting garbage on fire. Since this announcement was made, the burning of garbage by BMC employees has increased manifold.

Prakash Borde: No, imposing of monetary fine is not the only way to correct people. I strongly oppose monetary fines, people cannot be corrected through monetary fines. Because everyone has different financial status. There are many other ways to correct people. For an example if we are imposing Rs. 50/- fine for over speed driving of vehicle than this amount is negligible for an industrialist or for any financially sound person. So this will not discourage that person from over speeding. On the other hand if we cancel his license for 3-4 months or 2-3 days jail for over speeding than people will be more conscious while driving. Because now a days time is more precious than money and if a person have to spend 2-3 days in jail than he will not only have to suffer financially but also feel disgraced.

People can be corrected through these ways - If it is a matter related to driving of vehicles that driving license can be cancelled for certain period or permanently depending on the seriousness. If it is a case related to Contractors than his license can be cancelled or blacklisted or can be sent into jails for certain period for not following norms or quality or any mischief done by him.

If we will rely only on monetary fines for correcting people than no doubt the crime rate will rise many folds.

Krishna Chander Mouli: Deterrence is definitely the only way to mend and correct people to behave like good citizens. Imposing monetary punishment may be one of the measures of deterrence. But doubtless,it is not the only way. On the other hand many a time imposition of monetary punishment becomes a very casual one without registering any impact of deterrence. This is true in the case of violation of laws of the land by nou-rich and spoilt brats of affluent and influential people. Monetary punishment is a pittance of a pocket expense for this category of citizens of the society which neither acts as a deterrent for them nor as a guilt of punishment in them rather such monetary punishment encourages in them arrogance and apathy towards law of the land. Compounding of offences and violations is one of such glaring examples of the above type of arrogance and apathy.

Experience in administration has shown that citizens are more sensitive to insult and ignominy rather than monetary punishment. If a citizen is imprisoned, handcuffed or even arrested, these punishments work as real deterrents.Monetary punishment at the most can only work as a warning. Traffic violations are another example here where the violations became incorrigible. The reason is simple. These violations are done usually by affluent and influential people who do not mind shelling out some chips of currency as fine.Neither such sort of deterrence damaged their prestige nor was there any feeling of repentance in them at their violative behaviour. If a lower middle class or a poor citizen is caught in a traffic violation he greases the cop and slips away.

The conclusion thus is that monetary punishment can never be the only measure of correcting the violating people.If the intention of punishment is to really deter a violator then even directing a person to mark his presence at the Thana regularly for a fixed period is a comparatively more impacting punishment than a mere monetary fine.

RJ Khurana: No, certainly not. Monetary fines should invariably be preceded by motivational drills consisting of example, education and exhortation to encourage voluntary compliance. In the case of habitual offenders, stronger doses of discipline may become inescapable. Too much latitude to the law-breakers particularly those falling in the categories of littering, disorderly behaviour, causing nuisance, squatting in public places, disfiguring city walls, polluting environment, violating traffic laws and voiding in public is not recommended. As a general rule, experienced law enforcers insist that all infractions must be checked in the beginning with a warning and if necessary penalized if the warning fails to produce the desired effect to obviate the need for stronger penal action that always leaves some avoidable miasma behind.

RK Kutty: To err is human, so says the oldies. Imposing fine is only one of the various methods/ways to correct people. But, sometimes, most of the people take pride in continuing the same mistake, even by paying the fine. For example, some people cultivate the habit that they will pay the bill for various services only when they receive the bill, even if the bill may be received in time, they overlook the due date to pay without fine and pay it only with the fine. What to think of such ones. Basically, one must inculcate the habit of observing the rules unmindful of reminding them. Electricity, Water, House Tax, Property Tax, Income Tax, and Phone bill et. al is what one has to pay to Government. If one religiously pays it on fixed schedules, even if there is some delay in receipt of the bill, there is no question of fine. So, the problem lies elsewhere. And that is simple. One must have a turn-around from dishonesty to honesty, un-truth to truth, wickedness to righteousness, false pride to humility etc. Degradation in morality is the bane of this generation. Gone are the days when people maintained sterling qualities of discipline, sensibility, honesty and humility. The more the pressures on life and its technological advancement increased, the more have people changed for the worse. The casualty is virtues of life. It slowly gave way to deceitfulness. And the result too is visible. The more sins abound, the more are the curses of the divine on earth. Climate change, water scarcity, food scarcity, religion fighting against religion and countries fighting each other are some other woes mankind face these days. Ethnic strife, intermittent earthquakes, tsunami, cyclones, financial crisis are frightening news that disturbs sensible people day by day. We can see a mighty power like the US crumbling down under its own cacophony. Anything built up on covet, unrighteous methods cannot stand upright. It is against the nature's law. Honesty is the only best policy. God is honest and He demands each and every human being be honest. God says "I am righteous, so ye are righteous". Psalm 15 is a wonderful Psalm, where it is well defined who can be privileged to have heavenly abode.

The ongoing struggle in this world, particularly in our own country, must stop immediately, if we have to stand upright as a nation that has a historical past, where epical legends like Maryada Purushotham, Kaaliya Mardanan, or Kaliyuga Vardan are upheld in high esteem and are worshipped so religiously. Whereas, despite all these, when one human raise up arms to kill another hapless and helpless/unarmed human, it evokes only divine displeasure. No God, worth the name, can stand as mute witness to such injustice for long. What needs to be changed is the moral character, value and uprightness in humans and that is called the real Conversion of soul (Man-Phirao) for which Christianity gives more thrust. Jesus Christ never converted anyone. His one line Message that echoed in Palestine two millennia ago was "Repent, as the kingdom of heaven is near" (St. Matthew 4:17)