Punjab fixes accountability to enforce cigarettes and other tobacco products act in state

Chandigarh, December 11, 2014: The Punjab Government has fixed the accountability of District Administration to enforce Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (COTPA) Act, 2003 in their respective districts with iron hand. Instructions have been issued to the districts to accelerate the surveillance in every nook and corner of the district to nab the offenders red handed. The district administrations have also been given mandate to book such law brokers and take punitive action at the spot.
Disclosing this here official spokesperson of the Punjab Government said that district administration has been instructed to take severe punitive action against the offenders. He said that under section 4 of the COTPA, Act a person can be fined up to Rs. 200 for the crime and the owner of the institution can be fined adding up the total number of offenders in his establishment. Similarly under section 5 of the said Act advertising of the Tobacco product has been prohibited. He said that for first such crime the offender can be sentenced to 2 years or a fine of Rs. 1000 and for committing the crime second time sentence of 5 years and fine of Rs 5000 can be slapped on the law broker.  He said that under sanction 6 of the Act the sale of Tobacco product to the children under 18 years of age and within the 100 meter circumference of educational instructions is strictly prohibited and the offender can be slapped a fine of Rs. 200 for such crime.
The spokesperson further said that under section 7,8 & 9 of the Act the sale of Tobacco product without highlighting health advisory has been prohibited. Any person found flouting this norm can be sentenced of 2 years or a fine of Rs.5000 for committing crime for the first time similarly for the second time the sentence can be 5 years or fine of Rs. 10,000. He said for the wholesaler for committing this crime for the first time a sentence of 1 year or a fine of Rs. 1000 can be slapped whereas for committing the crime second time this sentence can be increased for 2 years or fine of Rs. 3000 can be slapped on him.
He said that 18 districts of the state have already been declared Tobacco Smoke Free Zones relying on the findings of the PGIEMR’s Complied Study conducted on the use of Tobacco products in Punjab. He said that now the state government has in principle took a decision to declare the whole of the state ‘Tobacco Smoke Free Zone’.  He said that the provision of this COTPA, Act would now be binding on Hotels, Restaurants, Dhabas, and all other commercial establishments.
Further under Food Safety and Standards Act, products like Gutka and other eatable having ingredients of Nicotine/ Tobacco have been banned in the state similarly under Drug and Cosmetic Act the use of Nicotine in chemical form like e-cigarettes has also been prohibited.
He said that all the Deputy Commissioners have been asked to constitute ‘Block level task force’ on similar lines of ‘Permanent District Level Task Force’. He said that apart from Department of Health & Family Welfare all other department like Police, Education, Local Bodies, transport and Excise & taxation ect. have been instructed to generate all their resources to curb the use of Tobacco and for implementation of COTPA, Act in their district effectively.
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