Bokaro: In the past 72 hours, a team of health department conducting special anti-tobacco drive slapped fine on 25 shops in the district. They were caught selling tobacco, gutka, pan masala and others which are banned in Jharkhand. The drive was conducted in Sector-4, City police Station and Balidih areas.
The health department found that the sale of tobacco and gutka can become reason for the spread of Covid-19 virus as people chew and spit in public places. They geared up to enforce Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Control Act (COTPA) strictly in the district.
Apart from the health department team, the police stations have also been directed to conduct the anti-tobacco drive in their jurisdiction areas. Fines are being collected from shops found violating COTPA. The nodal officer of the District Tobacco Control Program, Dr NP Singh informed that there is a ban on the sale of tobacco products like pan masala, gutkha, bidi, cigarettes in the district.
On Wednesday, the team slapped fine to seven shopkeepers Rs 1400 finding them selling banned pan masala and gutka. On Thursday Rs 1300 fine was collected from 10 shops under City Police Station area. On Friday eight shops were slapped fine by the team. Under the COTPA Act, a fine of Rs 200 was slapped on each of the shopkeepers. The Food Safety Officer Apoorva Minj and Mohd Aslam of Health Department conducted the drive.
The team instructed all the shopkeepers not to make such mistakes in future. During the raid, all shopkeepers were ordered to put non-smoking zone signboards. “Action will be taken against spitting tobacco in a public place. Tobacco consumption is a major threat to public health specially in this Covid-19 pandemic. Tobacco users have a tendency to spit here and there. Spitting increases the risk of spreading the coronavirus,” said Minz.
