Jamshedpur: Ahead of Durga Puja festivities, the Steel City administration has launched a fresh drive against the sale of tobacco products. On the direction of deputy commissioner, Manjunath Bhajantri, the Mango Notified Area Committee (MNAC) on Saturday seized gutkas from five betel shops and imposed penalty on the shopkeepers.MNAC deputy town commissioner Suresh Yadav said they held random raids on 30 pan shops across the command limits, out of which five shops were penalised Rs 200 each for stocking and selling variety of gutkas. Yadav said separate teams have been formed to implement the 2003 rules of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (Copta) in the MNAC.Deputy development commissioner (DDC) Manish Kumar , while chairing the review meeting of the tobacco control campaign on Friday said the rules of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition, of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Productions, Supply and Distribution) (Jharkhand Amendment) Act 2021 has to be strictly imposed to stop the illegal sale, advertising and promotion of tobacco products. Earlier, he directed all three municipal bodies — Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC), Jugsalai Municipal Council (JMC) and MNAC — to effectively carry out raids to seize tobacco items from the vendors.He asked the three civic bodies to hold a sustained campaign to spread awareness among people about the health problems related to the consumption of smoking cigarettes, and chewing gutkas, and pan masala. The DDC has asked the officials of the local bodies to run a special campaign to stop the sale of banned tobacco items, if any, within the 100 yard radius of the educational institutions.Kumar also issued directions to launch mass awareness, on the health risks of consuming tobacco. He asked the sub-division officer (SDO), block development officer (BDO), circle officer (CO), besides, police station officer in-charges to cooperate in stopping tobacco consumption in the district.The DDC has announced that tobacco awareness signage boards will have to be installed at all Durga puja pandals. He also asked the notified area committee officials to form three-layered search and seizure teams to conduct search operations.We also published the following articles recently32% of shops selling tobacco targeting school kids, youthAn analysis by the state health department in Chennai reveals that over a third of shops selling banned gutka and pan masala products are targeting school students and youth with flavored smokeless tobacco. Inspections conducted over six weeks found that 32% of the 80,000 shops inspected stocked just flavored smokeless tobacco, leading to fines and suspensions for violating the ban. The state health minister expressed concern about the public health impact and the smuggling of these products from neighboring states. Public health experts note an increase in tobacco use among youth, leading to an increase in oral and lung cancer cases.Delhi HC rejects plea to ban distasteful anti-tobacco imagery in adsThe Delhi High Court has dismissed a petition seeking to prohibit the display of anti-tobacco health spots with graphic images in film screenings and on television. The court stated that the purpose of such imagery is to create awareness of the ill-effects of tobacco consumption. It also criticized the petitioner for using public interest litigation for private gain and warned against filing frivolous petitions in the future. The court emphasized the states duty to protect citizens health.Gutka worth 47L seizedThe Satara police in Maharashtra seized gutka worth Rs 47 lakh from a truck heading towards Pune. Acting on a tip-off, the police set up a checkpoint and found the container truck parked at a dhaba. The driver was arrested, and gutka packets were found hidden in wooden boxes. The police are investigating further to determine the intended recipient of the consignment. This is the first time such a large quantity of gutka has been seized by the Satara police.

Stay updated with all the Latest Ranchi headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.