Anti-tobacco awareness rally, raids conducted in shops, eateries

Kanniyakumari Collector M. Aravind on Tuesday flagged off an anti-tobacco awareness rally here.

Addressing the rally, Mr. Aravind said while a smoker lost 11 minutes of his lifespan by smoking a cigarette, there was one tobacco-related death every minute in the world that witnessed the death of five million people due to diseases caused by the substance.

Even as the district administration, with the cooperation of all government departments, was taking every possible action against drug abuse and use of tobacco by children, intense awareness programmes were being organised in schools and colleges to save the younger generation from the ill-effects of tobacco. Moreover, teachers had been trained to handle students using tobacco and other banned tobacco products.

“The drug abuse and use of tobacco will ruin the individuals besides wiping out the peace of their dependents. Hence, everyone should understand the trauma and avoid tobacco and other drugs,” Mr. Aravind said.

After the Collector flagged off the rally, the procession reached SLB Higher Secondary School.

Collector V. Vishnu flagged off the anti-tobacco awareness rally in Palayamkottai.

Officials attached to the Department of Food Safety conducted surprise checks in shops and eateries in Tirunelveli and Tenkasi districts to detect banned tobacco products. Food Inspectors A.R. Sankaralingam and S. Ramasubramanian conducted raids in eateries and shops in Vaeinthaankulam new bus-stand, High Ground, Maharaja Nagar.

In May alone, ₹7 lakh worth 1,973 Kg of banned tobacco products were seized in Tirunelveli and Tenkasi districts and sent for analysis.