Despite ban, local vendors still sell gutka openly

A gutka kiosk near Master Canteen Railway Station

Under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Act, 2011 and its section 2, 3 and 4, the state government of Odisha had banned the production and sale of nicotine items that are used as food item. The state government had also issued a notification on January 4, 2013 regarding the issue, following the announcement of former Health and Family Welfare Minister Damodar Rout to ban manufacturing, selling and chewing of gutka in the state on January 1, 2013.

However, the local vendors including pan shops, grocery shops, verity stores, Omfed Parlours, BMC kiosks – Safal, 909, Pan Parag, Minajee, Pan Bahar – can be seen flouting the rules openly. Gutka shops have also been set up at railway stations, bus stands, schools, colleges, government offices.

Subhendu Mohanty, President of Youth and Student Organisation reveals, “About 14% of school children in the state are addicted to these products which trigger dangerous diseases like oral cancer. More than 15 illegal local Gutka companies surrounding Bhubaneswar have been selling these products in the state. Due to these illegal shops, the state government is loosing revenue worth Rs 12 crore per month and Rs 1crore 25 lacks as commercial tax per day. Besides the government is also loosing excise duty of Rs 150 crore per year.”

He further adds that although the state government has banned advertisement of Gutka on public places, hoardings of several gutka products on bus stands and public toilets that come under the jurisdiction of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation can be commonly seen.

Subhendu alleges that the BMC, Health and Family welfare, excise department officials and police are involved with the illegal gutka trader and manufacturer companies in the state.

In order to call upon the attention of the authorities, the Youth and Student Organisation has decided to stage a protest if the state government does not ban the illegal selling in the state by January 7.

It may be noted that Odisha is the 15th state in the country to ban gutka after Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Haryana, Marjoram, Chatishgargh, Gujarat, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and Union Territories like Delhi and Chandigarh.