Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (MS)

Bengaluru, Aug 4: The gift of a basketful of dry fruits wrapped in plastic to the new chief minister (CM) B S Yediyurappa given by Mayor of BBMP Gangambike Mallikarjun proved costly for her as she was made to pay a fine of Rs 500.

Gangambike had offered the gift to Yediyurappa on July 30. The mayor was trolled heavily by environmentalists and social media users for using the plastic wrap for the gift. As a rule, all kinds of plastics are banned in the state. The mayor had to face sharp criticism from people, who slammed her for not following the campaign that was launched by herself.

The mayor said that she was not aware as to who wrapped the dry fruit basket with a plastic. But she was courteous enough to accept her mistake and was ready to pay the fine also. Accordingly, she deposited the fine with one of the health inspectors of BBMP on Saturday, August 3 at Sampangiram Nagar sub-division.

Explaining the whole saga, mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun said, "My photograph of giving a dry fruit basket to CM B S Yediyurappa had gone viral on various social media. That is why I paid the fine for the mistake committed by me unknowingly. By paying the fine, I have set an example for other officials and citizens to follow. There will be a five-fold penalty for shopkeepers of the city if they do not abide by the law of not using plastic."