PANJIM, OCT 19
The State Level Steering Committee has recommended compounding fine on tobacco products on the spot to avoid stocking of confiscated tobacco products till the case gets over.
(SLSC) which met recently has decided that any shop with more than 50 gms of tobacco product would be fined under COPTA (Rs 200) on the spot.
“The time had come when we need to compound fine on the spot after seizing gutkha or any tobacco products rather then waiting for the case to get over,” Dr Shekhar Salkar, SLSC member and General Secretary for National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), said.
He said that after seizing gutkha in the raid, we needed to store it till court case gets over. “The case procedures are tedious, you need to store the products for years and by the time the case gets over the material you seized reduces in quantity. Hence the fine is also less,” he added.
The committee has also decided to keep a close watch on those violating anti-tobacco acts during forthcoming IFFI. Plain cloth police will be posted at the venue, who will track the violator and compound the fine, on the spot.
