Assam: Steps Taken Against Sale of Tobacco Products

HATSINGIMARI: Steps have been taken by the local police to prevent the sale of tobacco products near educational institutions and medical facilities in the South Salmara Mankachar district of the state.

This initiative to stop the sale of tobacco and tobacco products in the vicinity of educational institutions and hospitals was led by the officer in charge of the Kharuabandha Police Outpost, which comes under the South Salmara Mankachar region of the state. The team carried out searches at the Kharuabandha Bazar, near the Hatsingimari District Hospital and in the vicinity of the Hatsingimari Namoni Jatiya Vidyalaya.

The team confiscated tobacco products including cigarettes, bidis, gutkha etc from several outlets in the localities. They also gave a strict warning to the owners of these shops not to involve themselves in the sale of such products in the future.

The Tinsukia district administration issued a prohibitory order U/S 133 whereby the sale of cigarettes, gutka, pan masala and tobacco products were banned within a radius of 100 metres from the existing educational institutions. It came to the notice of the district administration that many business establishments were selling cigarettes, gutka, pan masala and tobacco products that are harmful to health near several educational institutions in Tinsukia district.

Consequently, school and college students started using these tobacco products due to the sale of such products near their respective educational institutions. The District Magistrate of Tinsukia, Saupneel Paul, therefore, issued the directive banning the sale of such harmful products in the Tinsukia district. There is a strict ban on the sale of pan masala and other tobacco products. “Action will be taken under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code if any person or institution violates the ban,” it was stated in the aforesaid prohibitory order.

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