Bhubaneswar: To implement the govt notification issued on Jan 21 that imposed a complete ban on all chewable products containing tobacco or nicotine as ingredients, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday passed a resolution to carry out enforcement activities to check vending zones and shops selling and storing such items.A discussion was held between all corporators and officials and it was decided that BMC will form special enforcement squads, along with the deployment of Sanitation and Hygiene Inspection for Neat Environment (SHINE) teams, to carry out checks.
“Our priority will be to check around 2,000 vending zones that we set up to discourage sale or storage of tobacco products, based on the govt notification. Vendors need to adhere to the guidelines that BMC teams provide during raids or else face action,” said BMC commissioner Chanchal Rana.The govt notification said the prohibition/ban extends to products, whether packaged or unpackaged, or sold as one product or separate products, distributed in a way that facilitates easy mixing by the consumer, as well as any other food products containing tobacco/nicotine as ingredients.BMC officials said that according to the notification, the ban applies to tobacco and nicotine products in different forms like chewable products. Unpackaged tobacco products which people mix with food, paste and powder are also banned.Be it the state capital or any other city and town, the Omfed (milk) parlours, for which the general administration department provides land, sale of tobacco products and cigarettes is quite common. BMC has expressed concern over growing tobacco sales in such outlets and plans to rein in shopowners.“Omfed stalls will be under the scanner. If they don’t mend their ways, appropriate action will be taken,” said BMC additional commissioner Kailash Chandra Dash.BMC also decided that all publicity materials (banners, posters and hoardings) promoting tobacco/nicotine products will be removed gradually.The special task force (STF) of the crime branch, city police and sleuths of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) carried out surprise raids near prominent educational institutions last year, finding ganja-laced cigarettes and chocolate being sold by vendors.
