Team Herald
VASCO: The Mormugao Taluka Enforcement Squad conducted inspections near Vasco Railway Station to check for violations of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003 (COTPA) and collected Rs 1000 as fines mostly from the fast food kiosks.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
As per a GOACAN press note, the squad led by Maria D’Costa e Fernandes Mormugao Taluka, Jt. Mamlatdar-III and GOACAN Co-ordinator Roland Martins included Circle Inspector Vithu Kharat, Vasco Talathi Hanumant Mandrekar, UHC Sanitary Inspector Dayanand Thakkar, and LPSI Santos ER Fernandes from Vasco Police Station.
Earlier the squad met Vasco Railway Station In-charge Kundan Singh and discussed the need for more “No Smoking” signages as prescribed under Section 4 of COTPA, at the entry and exit points of the station, on the three platforms and for the dormitory. The squad emphasised that a compliance report from the SWR officials needs to be submitted within a month as the same has to be forwarded to the office of the South Goa District Collector.
When the squad visited the SWR Vasco Reservation Office, the Vasco Railway Police Station and the office of the Post Commander Railway Protection Force (RPF) it was found that the prescribed No Smoking signage was not on display.
Meanwhile, a proposal for declaring 200 metres around Vasco Railway Station as a “Tobacco Free Zone” will be proposed at the next quarterly review meeting.
