In a historical step, Delhi government on Monday decided to enforce a blanket ban on gutka [a form of chewing tobacco] and other related products in the national capital, which will also lead to loss of crores of rupees to the exchequer.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit convened a high-level meeting on Monday with Health Minister A K Walia along with several senior officials, where it was decided that the ban would include manufacture, sale, display, transportation and storage of gutka.
Finance Department officials said the government may incur an annual revenue loss of around Rs 40 crore due to the ban.
Sources said the city government is likely to issue a notification in respect of gutka and other products on Tuesday and the violation of this would attract strict action against the defaulters.
Ban will come in force after issue of the notification. The Prevention of Adulteration of Food department has been authorised to collect samples and register cases against the traders and manufacturers violating the ban, as per the provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act.
The stringent Act, which was enforced in Delhi in August last year, provides for maximum punishment of life imprisonment and a penalty of up to Rs 10 lakh for those involved in such illegal activities.
After the meeting, an official said, ‘Gutka and other products contain pan masala, nicotine and tobacco particles. They are harmful to health. This has resulted in taking a decision to ban such products, as the government feels the ban had become necessary to overcome health hazards’.
Once the ban is in force, Delhi will become the ninth state in the country to ban the sale, manufacture and storage of gutka.
The eight states that have already banned gutka include Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh.
According to Delhi government estimate, around 8.3 per cent population of Delhi consumes gutka.
Sources said the per day sale of tobacco products accounts for nearly Rs two crore in Delhi, in which at least 20 brands are involved.
The file pertaining to imposition of ban on gutka products was cleared by Lt Governor Tejendra Khanna last week. Earlier, Delhi High Court had asked Delhi government to implement the ban on gutka. The Centre had recommended a ban on chewing tobacco earlier this year, but not all states have enforced it.
Meanwhile, looking at the fact that ban on smoking in public places and use of polythene have not yielded desired results, only time will tell how successful will this ban be.