Bhubaneswar, Jan 5: In the wake of the gutkha ban in the State,
pan masala and gutkha sachets hanging in all pan shops and kiosks
across the city has vanished overnight. The Government ban on chewing
tobacco came into effect Saturday.
The Government issued a notification to this effect Friday three days after the formal announcement.
Shop owners fearing strict action from the administration didn’t take the risk of displaying or selling guthka in their shops.
Shopkeepers at the Capital Hospital who openly sold gutkha and pan masalas a few days back couldn’t muster courage to defy the Government orders.
“We will not take the risk as the punishment could invite a fine up to Rs 10 lakh and six years
of imprisonment. Earnings of the whole year don’t stand up to the
amount,” said a kiosk owner at the utility complex in the Capital
Hospital.
However, a reality check in the city revealed that though shopkeepers had been barred from showcasing guthka, a few of them continued to sale the articles illegally to regular customers at higher rates. A guthka sachet costing Rs 2 is being sold at Rs 4.
Regular guthka chewers said rather than banning it the Government should create awareness on the harmful effect of tobacco.
“It would be a Gordian knot for law enforcers to prevent guthka from being sold illegally in the market. The shopkeepers would rather turn careful and sell them to select customers,” said engineering student Prabhakar Senapati casting doubt on the effectiveness of the ban.
Meanwhile, officials of Public Health Services said a State-level crackdown would be launched soon against shopkeepers violating the law. “The Government is now chalking out a strategy for proper implementation of the ban,” said a senior Health Department official.
The notification made as per the Regulation 2, 3, 4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulation, 2011, and enacted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India invites penal action for the violators of law.
The ban assumed significance in view of the State being home to the second largest oral cancer population of the country. PNN
The Government issued a notification to this effect Friday three days after the formal announcement.
Shop owners fearing strict action from the administration didn’t take the risk of displaying or selling guthka in their shops.
Shopkeepers at the Capital Hospital who openly sold gutkha and pan masalas a few days back couldn’t muster courage to defy the Government orders.
“We will not take the risk as the punishment could invite a fine up to Rs 10 lakh and six years
of imprisonment. Earnings of the whole year don’t stand up to the
amount,” said a kiosk owner at the utility complex in the Capital
Hospital.However, a reality check in the city revealed that though shopkeepers had been barred from showcasing guthka, a few of them continued to sale the articles illegally to regular customers at higher rates. A guthka sachet costing Rs 2 is being sold at Rs 4.
Regular guthka chewers said rather than banning it the Government should create awareness on the harmful effect of tobacco.
“It would be a Gordian knot for law enforcers to prevent guthka from being sold illegally in the market. The shopkeepers would rather turn careful and sell them to select customers,” said engineering student Prabhakar Senapati casting doubt on the effectiveness of the ban.
Meanwhile, officials of Public Health Services said a State-level crackdown would be launched soon against shopkeepers violating the law. “The Government is now chalking out a strategy for proper implementation of the ban,” said a senior Health Department official.
The notification made as per the Regulation 2, 3, 4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulation, 2011, and enacted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India invites penal action for the violators of law.
The ban assumed significance in view of the State being home to the second largest oral cancer population of the country. PNN
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