MUMBAI: The state ban on gutka and paan masala will not come into effect overnight. Highly-placed sources said it would be at least a fortnight before the state issues a notification announcing the ban. Manufacturers will be given time to manage stocks and resources.
Maharashtra has been different from Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala in the gutka ban process. It is the first to announce a ban on paan masala along with gutka and it will rope in the police to ensure implementation of the ban, which may take a few weeks to be effective.
The sources said after the state government will issue a notification after it files a caveat. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the police will then have the power to enforce the ban.
In other states, the public health ministry (of which the FDA is a part) enforces the ban. In Maharashtra, the FDA works independently but it has barely a few hundred food inspectors to enforce the ban. "Hence, it will have the police helping it," an official said.
"Elaborate arrangements have been made," said FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade.
According to the Control of Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), offenders can be fined Rs200. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), under which the ban has been regulated, said offenders can face six months to three years in jail.
Maharashtra has been different from Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala in the gutka ban process. It is the first to announce a ban on paan masala along with gutka and it will rope in the police to ensure implementation of the ban, which may take a few weeks to be effective.
The sources said after the state government will issue a notification after it files a caveat. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the police will then have the power to enforce the ban.
In other states, the public health ministry (of which the FDA is a part) enforces the ban. In Maharashtra, the FDA works independently but it has barely a few hundred food inspectors to enforce the ban. "Hence, it will have the police helping it," an official said.
"Elaborate arrangements have been made," said FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade.
According to the Control of Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), offenders can be fined Rs200. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), under which the ban has been regulated, said offenders can face six months to three years in jail.
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