KTC drives into controversy with pan masala advt on buses

PANJIM: Taking advantage of loopholes in the law governing Food and Drugs Administration in the State, Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited’s (KTC) buses are being increasingly used to display surrogate advertisements of a banned product.

One of the country’s largest companies producing pan masala has splashed its advertisements over a number of buses run by KTC promoting its product. What’s interesting is that the pan masala advertisement has one of Bollywood’s biggest stars as its brand ambassador.

The advertisement has been drawing criticism on the social media and even organisations like National Organization for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE) have certified that it is surrogate campaign for gutkha.

NOTE General Secretary Dr Shekhar Salkar said that such an advertisement is against the law and is an indirect promotion of gutkha. “Pan masala has the same feature of gutkha. The advertisement should be banned. NOTE will take up the issue with the authorities as it amounts to promotion of tobacco product,” he said.

KTC has confirmed that the advertisement is on around 300 local buses plying on different routes in the State. The Delhi-headquartered agency that won the contract to bring in advertisements for KTC buses, for a period of three years, is paying KTC Rs 1,500 per bus per month. In what has raised serious concern is that these buses usually travel in thickly populated cities and also to schools and colleges.

The exposure of such a product in the name of pan masala can lead to the children searching for it, and it is clandestinely available in some of the stores in the cities and rural areas. What’s also interesting is that KTC, which is funded by the State government, has been involved in breaking the law of the land.

What is letting the constant breaking of the law through KTC are loopholes in the FDA law. A senior FDA official said ‘pan masala is a food article and it is not banned from being sold’. “There is a list of banned products under FDA but that does not have the name of pan-masala,” he explained seeking anonymity.

A typical mixture of pan masala contains fennel seeds as the base ingredient as well as sugar coated seeds that may include sesame, fennel, and coriander seeds. Mint leaves, cardamom, powdered lime, pure menthol, catechu, betel nuts, areca nuts, and other flavorings are also added to the mixture very often.

When contacted, KTC Managing Director Derrick Pereira Neto said pan masala does not contain anything objectionable to health. “If anyone has any objection, they should approach KTC. We will look into the matter,” he said. 

The officer stated that the contract signed with the Delhi-based agency has a clause under which they can be asked to pull down the advertisements, if they are found to be objectionable under the law.

Clause 13 of the tender states that if there is any objection from the public or the government or any authority, the advertisement would be scrutinised and if found illegal or against the moral conduct, it is liable for removal. 

Sometime ago, KTC had withdrawn advertisements for condoms after right wing Hindu organisations and parents had objected to it.