Gutka ban will be stricter now: FDA

PUNE: The state government's decision to make the manufacture, sale and distribution of gutka a non-bailable offence will make the enforcement of its ban more effective and stringent, said officials of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

The move will bring uniformity in punishment, curb habitual offenders and keep a check on the entry of new offenders in the black market, they said. Gutka has been banned in Maharashtra since July 2012. 

"Currently, if a person is found selling gutka, he is arrested after we file a police complaint. However, offenders get bail within two to three days and go back to selling gutka. This will change once the sale of gutka becomes a non-bailable offence," said Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner (food), FDA, Pune division. 

"Moreover, from a hawker selling a small amount of gutka to a businessman dealing with huge amounts of gutka, every offender will get the same punishment. The FDA makes inquiries of the sale and purchase of gutka at all levels. When we make inquiries at the manufacturer level to trace the origin of the confiscated gutka, we have to struggle a lot to prove the offence. But if the police are involved in the investigations, then it becomes easier to solve the cases with their vast network and manpower," he added. 

After the ban on gutka came into force, the FDA officials have seized gutka worth Rs 6.64 crore in Pune district. 

"We have conducted raids on 269 establishments and lodged 200 FIRs against the offenders since 2012. We raided godowns from where the maximum amount of gutka was seized, followed by shops, paan stalls and residential premises," said Shivkumar Kodgire, assistant commissioner (food), FDA, Pune. 

The modus operandi used in selling gutka keeps changing. "We have to be vigilant constantly to nab the offenders," Kodgire said. 

One of the ingenious methods of selling gutka that emerged following the ban was the 'supari mix'. The main ingredients in gutka are supari (betelnut) and jarda (flavoured tobacco). These are being sold in separate pouches as 'supari mix', which when mixed together becomes gutka. 

This is the third consecutive year when the state government has banned gutka and paan masala. Through a notification on July 20, 2014, the state government has empowered the food safety commissioner to prohibit manufacturing, distribution, stocking and sale of gutka and paan masala in the state under Section 30 (2) (a) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.