Coimbatore District (Rural) Police and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) have launched a joint drive to crack down on the sale of tobacco products that are prohibited in the State. As of Wednesday, the police and the FSSAI have taken action against 74 traders in the district.
According to District Superintendent of Police V. Badrinarayanan, the food regulator sealed one shop after it was found selling banned tobacco products for the third time. The FSSAI imposed a fine of ₹5,000 each on 66 shops after they were found selling gutkha for the first time. Seven traders were slapped with a fine of ₹10,000 each after they were found selling the contraband for the second time, he said.
While police register cases against the offenders under provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (COTPA) Act, the FSSAI uses its power to impose fines on the offenders if they are caught for the first or second time and seal the shop if they are caught for a third time.
It was found that persons who sell banned tobacco products were not deterred by the case registered by the police under the COTPA Act as bail is easily granted for the seizure of the contraband in small quantities. However, the fine imposed by the FSSAI is a blow to their revenue.
“If a trader sells 30 packets of gutkha for a margin of ₹50 a day, he could earn ₹1,500. But the fine imposed for the first offence itself is ₹ 5,000 which is a big amount to lose for small traders,” Mr. Badrinarayanan said.
According to the SP, the joint drive with the FSSAI was to curb the trade of banned tobacco products at the retail end. The police are doing separate drives to crack down on the wholesale trade and stocking, he said.
K. Tamilselavan, Designated Officer of the FSSAI for Coimbatore district, said that food safety officers are extending support to the police for the joint drive apart from conducting their routine inspections and other enforcement works. “Along with the police, we have sealed one shop at Ettimadai after it was found selling gutka for the third time,” he said.
