It is illegal to pick fruit that has fallen from trees on public land in Singapore. These fruits are considered the property of the government. Violation of the rules can result in a fine of up to $5,000 (₹3.74 lakh) and in protected areas up to $50,000 or jail.
Here, if we see a mango fallen from a tree on the roadside, anyone picks it up and walks away. This is not considered a big deal. But this does not happen everywhere. In a country like Singapore, where the laws are very strict, even picking up a fallen mango can get you in trouble.
An Indian woman named Priyanka Sinha, living in Singapore, has shared a video on Instagram, which is about this. In the video, Priyanka shows a tree laden with mangoes on the roadside, under which many mangoes have fallen. But she warns that there is no point in making your mouth water at the sight of these mangoes.
Priyanka tells that if you touch even one of the fallen mangoes, you can be fined 5,000 Singapore dollars i.e. about 3.74 lakh Indian rupees. This rule applies not only to plucking mangoes from the tree, but also to picking mangoes from the ground.
After Priyanka’s video went viral, people are discussing it a lot. Many people are calling it a ‘strange law’ and asking why the fruits are being allowed to get wasted like this. At the same time, some people are also asking whether there really is any such rule in Singapore.
What does the law say?
According to the Ministry of National Development of Singapore, trees and their fruits grown in public places or on government land are the property of the government. It is illegal to pluck or collect these fruits without permission from the National Park Board.
Collecting the fruit without a permit can result in a fine of up to $5,000. If these fruits are taken from a protected area, the punishment may be even more severe. This can result in a fine of up to $50,000 or up to 6 months in jail (or both).