The drug wing is mulling the move after it noticed that smokeless tobacco manufacturing companies were putting advertisements of their products at various places including on city buses and no action has been taken against them. Senior drug inspector Ajay Thakur said, "Several smokeless tobacco manufacturing are promoting their products through surrogate advertisements. We will take action against them within a week."
Thakur said that the department is planning the drive under the Drugs
and Magic Remedies Act (Objectionable Advertisement). "We will also act
on individual complaints if people approach us," he said.
After six-months of effective ban on sale and use of tobacco and tobacco products, it has seldom acted as a deterrent in the state. Sale of tobacco products continues in a concealed manner due to a variety of reasons. Shortage of staff at the Food and Drug Department and awareness among the masses, smuggling of tobacco pouches from the neighbouring states and poor implementation of the ban by the government are playing a spoilsport, insiders say.
After the implementation of ban on manufacturing and sale of gutkha, the food wing of the department had carried several raids in the district and seized and destroyed gutkha pouches. But officials said lack of effective guidelines and support of the police and the excise department was making it difficult to restrict selling of tobacco products. The department has so far declared 70 gutkha samples unsafe in its testing laboratory due to harmful magnesium carbonate and other similar ingredients.
Manish Swami, a senior food safety officer, said, "In the past six months, we have seized smokeless tobacco products worth Rs 6 lakhs. We have initiated legal action against 25 vendors in court."
According to sources, the department is facing problems to impose an effective ban as there is no such ban in the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh. "Large quantities of Gutkha pouches are smuggled to the state from UP where more than 3,000 companies are running gutkha manufacturing business. Recently, 170 sacks of gutkha were seized," said a source.
After six-months of effective ban on sale and use of tobacco and tobacco products, it has seldom acted as a deterrent in the state. Sale of tobacco products continues in a concealed manner due to a variety of reasons. Shortage of staff at the Food and Drug Department and awareness among the masses, smuggling of tobacco pouches from the neighbouring states and poor implementation of the ban by the government are playing a spoilsport, insiders say.
After the implementation of ban on manufacturing and sale of gutkha, the food wing of the department had carried several raids in the district and seized and destroyed gutkha pouches. But officials said lack of effective guidelines and support of the police and the excise department was making it difficult to restrict selling of tobacco products. The department has so far declared 70 gutkha samples unsafe in its testing laboratory due to harmful magnesium carbonate and other similar ingredients.
Manish Swami, a senior food safety officer, said, "In the past six months, we have seized smokeless tobacco products worth Rs 6 lakhs. We have initiated legal action against 25 vendors in court."
According to sources, the department is facing problems to impose an effective ban as there is no such ban in the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh. "Large quantities of Gutkha pouches are smuggled to the state from UP where more than 3,000 companies are running gutkha manufacturing business. Recently, 170 sacks of gutkha were seized," said a source.
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