Pan masala, tobacco vendors in Punjab to face stricter actions

Presiding over the meeting of state-level coordination committee to curb usage of tobacco and to ensure compliance of anti-tobacco laws here, Anurag Aggarwal said that it was a matter of grave concern that some manufacturers were selling pan masala (without tobacco) with flavoured chewing tobacco in separate sachets.

According to the notification issued by Punjab Government, "Manufacturing, storage, sale or distribution of Gutkha/Pan Masala (containing tobacco or nicotine), Processed/Flavoured/Scented chewing tobacco and any other Food products, containing Tobacco or Nicotine as ingredients by whatsoever name these are called final products and whether packaged or unpackaged and/or sold as one product or through packaged as separate products, available in the market is completely prohibited in the state."

Another circular issued by Commissioner-Food Administration notified that any storage/sale of illegal tobacco products will immediately lead to cancellation of food license of premises.

"As many as 54 samples of tobacco and masalas have been taken from January to August 2019 and 20 samples found non conforming to standards," Food and Drug Administration ACF Amit Joshi said.

He also said that cases are in process to be launched in ADC courts and assured the meeting that Food Safety Department would soon launch a special drive to take samples across the state and violators would be booked for carrying illegal tobacco.

Aggarwal said that the sale of cigarette packet without having 85 per cent of pictorial warning about tobacco causes cancer is also a crime.

He directed the Excise department to take strict action against the offenders who were involved in the business of Illegal sale of imported cigarette packets and flavoured/scanted tobacco products.