The Hindu
Gutka traders holding a protest demanding buffer time to sell existing
stock of gutka and paan masala in Bangalore on Monday.
Even as the Health Department officials are going about
implementing the ban on sale of gutka and paan masala that came into
effect on May 31, hundreds of gutka traders staged a protest here Monday
demanding time from the State government to clear their existing stock.
The traders, who assembled under the banner of the
South-Karnataka Zarda, Pan Masala and General Merchants’ Association,
wore black armbands and said they were not given prior notification on
the ban. K.K. Muhammad Gayazuddin, president of the association, said
traders were not against the ban, but only wanted time to sell their
stock. He added that members of the association “merely” wanted buffer
time of one month to sell their stock and pay off their debts.
Huge losses
The
shop owners who hold large stocks of gutka and paan masala said they
would face huge losses if the ban is implemented immediately. Anil
Kumar, General Manager of Pan Parag India Ltd., said, “We understand
that the government ban is binding on us; we are not fighting the ban
itself. However, when other States introduced the ban, retailers were
given one to six months to get rid of their existing stock. Why can’t
Karnataka allow the same?”
Jayesh Chande, a gutka
shop owner, added, “If the government does not give us time to clear
stocks, the retailers whose gutka sales are their bread and butter will
incur huge losses. Most owners store gutka worth Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1
lakh.”
Meanwhile, Jaikumar, Deputy Director, Food
Safety, said the Health Department would not oblige the request of gutka
sellers or manufacturers. “The enforcement of the ban was with
immediate effect from May 31. We have already started ceasing gutka
stocks and warning shops that still have gutka stocks. We also plan to
start booking cases shortly.”
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