Chennai: The Minister of Health MA Subramanian has given a two-month deadline to food security officials to enforce the ban on sales of Gutka and Pan Masala across Tamil Nadu.
Officials will be given the power to seal the store and will be assisted by police and local administrators to achieve their goals, he said.
In May 2013, Tamil Nadu announced a ban on manufacturing, storage and sales of Gutka and Pan Masala.
“Some time ago, 21 DMK Mlaas took the Gutka package to the assembly floor to show how it was easily available in Chennai.
They are available even around the shops near the secretariat.
The situation is valid even today,” he told officials in an open meeting named to overcome the illegal sales of Gutka and Pan Masala in Tamil Nadu.
Consultation meetings have representatives from health, homes, local administration departments and Greater Chennai Corporation.
“We have grabbed products and collected fine up to ₹ 30 crore in the last eight years.
We might be able to do the same in just two months,” said Minister.
Most traders, he said, will stop selling illegal items if asked to pay a penalty.
“If they continue illegal sales, officials can seal their store,” he said.
Food security officials that make their districts free Gutka will receive awards and those who will not be punished, he said.
“We want the prohibition to be applied in total,” he said.
Meanwhile, to create a awareness program that will encourage people, especially high-risk groups such as students and migrant workers, from using harmful substances, the state will hold a consciousness meeting and install legal warnings on billboards that display health tobacco health impacts.
The state will also work with the Ministry of Education to introduce the adverse effects of tobacco through images in the school textbook, apart from the meeting to inspire vendors to take an oath against sales.
The District Health Authority must work with the Ministry of Health and launch the action plan to enforce the ban, he said.
“We heard these products smuggled into the country through Bengaluru through a vegetable truck.
There may be many routes like that.
We have to develop the intelligence network to prevent their entries,” he told officials.
The minister said he received at least 10 messages about the area where Gutka was available, contacts wholesale dealers and codewords used in the industry a few minutes after he called on Tuesday’s meeting.
“I will continue to the police.
Meanwhile, public members can send details to cell complaints at 944-402-322″ he said.