Latest news with #CigarettesandOtherTobaccoProducts
The Hindu
08-08-2025
- The Hindu
25,807 cases registered under ‘Operation Safe Campus Zone' in A.P.
The Elite Anti-Narcotics Group for Law Enforcement (EAGLE), in association with the law and order police of various districts, conducted raids on shops near educational institutions under 'Operation Safe Campus Zone' and booked 25,807 cases. As part of the State-wide drive, the EAGLE and police teams conducted raids on 16,806 establishments in the last month to check for the sale of narcotic drugs, ganja, cigarettes, tobacco and gutkha products near educational institutions. In total, ₹40,62,092 lakh was imposed as fine on those who violate the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003, said Director General of Police (DGP) Harish Kumar Gupta, in a release, on Thursday. The 'Operation Safe Campus Zone' aims at preventing the sale of cigarettes and illicit drugs within 100 yards of educational institutions, as per the Tobacco Free Educational Institutions (ToFEI) guidelines, the DGP said. Based on the intelligence inputs, the police will keep a strict vigil on the hotspots and conduct raids on the shops located near the schools and colleges across the State. 'The raids will continue to maintain drug-free zones around educational institutions and protect the youth from drugs,' the DGP said.
The Hindu
10-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Don't interfere with sale, storage, transportation of raw chewable tobacco: Madras High Court
Food Safety Officers cannot interfere with storage, sale or transportation of raw chewable tobacco until an expert committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2023 submits its report and the Supreme Court passes further orders on the issue, the Madras High Court has ordered. Justice N. Anand Venkatesh, however, made it clear officials could initiate appropriate action if the unmanufactured chewable tobacco was sold by mixing it with gutkha or pan masala for which there was a total ban in Tamil Nadu ever since the Supreme Court passed an interim order in 2013. Justice Venkatesh made the position clear while disposing of a writ petition filed by Rathinam Enterprises of Chennai. The petitioner firm had complained of the food safety officials having treated the cut raw chewable tobacco leaves in its possession as unsafe for human consumption and injurious to health. Representing it, senior counsel V. Raghavachari contended raw chewable tobacco would not fall under the definition of the term 'food' as it had been defined under Section 3(j) of the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 and therefore, food safety officials could have no authority to seize them. Yet, the officials had seized the unmanufactured tobacco from the petitioner firm and subjected it to chemical analysis to find 0.47% of nicotine content. Stating nicotine was a natural ingredient of raw chewable tobacco, the counsel said, that by itself could not become a reason for the officers to act against the petitioner firm. He said, the Supreme Court had directed all States and Union Territories only to ban gutkha and pan masala containing tobacco/nicotine and it was only on the basis of that direction, the Tamil Nadu government had been issuing notifications year after year extending the ban on gutkha and pan masala. However, after two Division Benches of the High Court held that tobacco, with or without additives, would fall within the definition of the term 'food,' the government began issuing notifications omitting the words 'gutkha' and 'pan masala' and began banning all substances 'containing tobacco and/or nicotine as ingredients.' It was this change in the notification that had led the food safety officers to clamp down on raw chewable tobacco too, he said. Stating cultivation of tobacco was only regulated under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act of 2003 and not banned, Mr. Raghavachari wondered how the officials could seize only chewable tobacco but not smoking tobacco. After recording his submissions, Justice Venkatesh, said, he was bound by the verdicts passed by the Division Benches of the High Court and therefore, could not take a contrary decision. Now that the matters had been taken to the Supreme Court, judicial discipline would require him to await the final judgement of the top court, he added. The judge also took note the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India had issued a regulatory on January 9, 2023 informing the State governments of having constituted an expert committee to analyse the issue of chewable tobacco and instructed the food safety officials to withhold further action on the issue. Therefore, as an interim arrangement, the food safety officials shall not interfere with the storage, sale or transportation of unmanufactured tobacco by the writ petitioner until the larger issue was dealt with by the Supreme Court and till the expert committee file its final report, the judge ordered.
The Hindu
08-07-2025
- The Hindu
Kurnool police conducts ‘Operation Campus Safe Zone'
The Kurnool Police on Tuesday conducted 'Operation Campus Safe Zone' to enforce the ban on sale of tobacco products within a radius of 100 yards of educational institutions. Superintendent of Police Vikrant Patel said that sale of cigarette and any tobacco related products is banned within 100 yards of schools, colleges and other educational institutions. The police officials conducted searches at tea stalls, kirana (general) shops and other stores near the institutions for cigarettes, khaini or gutkha. The shopkeepers were made aware of the ban and warned against any sale of such products. Some shopkeepers who were found selling these products were penalised under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003. The shopkeepers were asked not to sell such products considering the ill-effects of tobacco and related products on youngsters. Meanwhile, the police also conducted searches at hotels on late Monday night and enquired about suspicious people who have checked into the hotel. Police asked the hotel managements to examine the details of those who check-in and also install CCTVs in the premises.
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Time of India
Cops warn Bengaluru restopubs to control music volume level after 10pm
Bengaluru: The police issued warnings to pubs, bars, and restaurants regarding adherence to permissible decibel (dB) levels for music after 10pm. During recent inspections, they registered 19 cases against establishments for various infractions, including absence of designated smoking areas and poor hygiene standards. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to a senior police officer, there were many complaints against the establishments in the Central Business District (CBD) area. During the special drive conducted between June 19 and June 23, the police found following violations: failure to maintain designated smoking zones, violation of the Excise Act, operating beyond the deadline, not maintaining food safety standards, and other illegal activities, including playing loud music. The police registered around 19 cases under COPTA (Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003, Karnataka Police Act, and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). A few establishments, including Pegs N Bottles Bar and Social on Church Street, Lupa on MG Road, Brigade Dream Bar and Restaurant on Brigade Road, and Times Bar and Restaurant on Residency Road, were among the 19 establishments booked. The police issued strict warning to the owners and management of the establishments on June 23 evening and demanded mandatory compliance of rules and regulations.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Ban on tobacco sale near schools goes up in smoke
Chennai: At least two outlets near every city school illegally sell tobacco products, grossly violating state laws that prohibit such sales within 100 yards of educational institutions, a multi-country study has revealed. While alcohol access is limited, small groceries and convenience stores near schools continue to sell tobacco products, it found. The representative sample study, conducted in Bangladesh, India (Delhi and Chennai), Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, was published in the May edition of scientific journal BMC Medicine. It showed non-compliance with tobacco and alcohol zoning regulations around schools. While most surveyed locations showed a higher percentage of non-compliant alcohol outlets, in Chennai, tobacco is more easily accessible near school zones. Scientists found 1,650 outlets near 247 randomly selected schools across the city. Out of these, 392 outlets selling tobacco were within 100 yards of a school. In Tamil Nadu, the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 2003 prohibits the sale of cigarettes or other tobacco products within a 100-yard radius of any educational institution. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The New Honda CR-V Is Is Turning Heads Everywhere (Take a Look) SneakerToast Undo Additionally, Tamil Nadu has banned the manufacture, storage, and sale of chewable tobacco such as gutka and pan masala. "Easy access to tobacco near schools increases the likelihood of experimentation and early initiation of tobacco use, which can lead to severe nicotine addiction. Studies have shown proximity normalises tobacco, making it appear less harmful and more socially acceptable," said Dr Anjana Mohan, one of the study's senior authors. The authors called on govts to strictly enforce existing zoning regulations to restrict access to tobacco and alcohol for young people. Among the non-compliant 392 shops, 241 (61.4%) were small grocery/corner convenience stores, 109 (24.8%) were food stalls or stationary carts, and 35 (8.9%) were mobile carts. The remaining outlets included one supermarket, one public market, one temporary store, and two each in specialty food retailers and restaurants. There were 176 non-compliant shops around 86 primary schools, 193 non-compliant shops around 129 secondary schools, and 67 non-compliant shops around 32 colleges/universities, said the study's co-author Rajendra Pradeepa from Madras Diabetes Research Foundation. Scientists observed fewer outlets violating rules for alcohol sales. Among the 247 schools in the city, there were a dozen non-compliant shops selling alcohol. This includes five outlets near primary schools, six near secondary schools, and four near colleges/universities. Though sale of alcohol is mandated only from Tasmac outlets and licensed bars/hotels, researchers spotted alcohol sales on stationary food carts and at small grocery stores. Out of the 12 non-compliant outlets, five were food stalls or stationary carts, six were small grocery or convenience stores, and one was a restaurant. Violations were more rampant in Delhi, where there were at least three shops violating tobacco norms around every educational institution. Zoning regulations varied by country. While Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, which have banned outlets within a 100-metre zone from selling tobacco, violations were identified in five shops and three shops around each school respectively, Pakistan, with a 50-metre restriction, had fewer than one shop per school within its buffer zone. According to experts, tobacco accessibility undermines prevention efforts, contributes to long-term health problems like respiratory illnesses and cancers, and can even act as a gateway to abuse of other substances, jeopardising overall well-being. These effects are also reflected in data from Madras Metropolitan Tumour Registry, the city's cancer registry. The crude incidence rate of oral cancer among men in the 20-39 age group increased to 9.7 per 1,00,000 in 2014-18 compared to 3.5 per 1,00,000 in 2004-2008. Among women in the same age group, cancer cases increased marginally to 1.1 per lakh from 0.8 during the same time.
