No sale
of gutka, pan masala in pouches from March 2011
Wednesday December 08, 2010 09:00:59 AM,
IANS
|
New Delhi:
In a major setback for manufacturers of gutka (chewing tobacco)
and pan masala, the Supreme Court Tuesday imposed a ban, from
March 2011, on these products' sale in plastic sachets.
Asking the manufacturers to explore and decide by March, 2011 on
the alternative material for packaging them, an apex court bench
of Justice G.S.Singhvi and Justice Asok Kumar Ganguly also
directed the central government to carry out a survey by the
National Institute of Public Health to ascertain the harmful
consequences of gutka, pan masala and other tobacco products.
The National Institute of Public Health will also go into the
adverse effects, if any, of the plastic pouches used for packaging
the material.
The apex court passed the order while hearing a petition by the
tobacco manufacturers challenging the Rajasthan High Court's 2007
order banning the sale of chewing tobacco and pan masala in
plastic sachets.
The Rajasthan High Court order came in 2007.
The chewing tobacco pouches (as the sachets are commonly called)
are essentially made of polypropylene and have a small amount of
plastic for preserving the tobacco product.
The apex court Sep 7, 2007 had stayed the operation of the
Rajasthan High Court order. The petitions challenging the high
court's Aug 29, 2007 order were filed by manufacturers of Jayanti
Gutka, Ankur Gutka and Laxmi Brand.
The high court had also asked the Rajasthan government to get the
sachets examined by the Forensic Science Laboratory to ascertain
the plastic content of the pouches.
It had directed the chewing tobacco manufacturers to comply with
the provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products
(Prohibition, Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce,
Production Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003, which came into
force from February 2007.
Besides this, the court had imposed a fine ranging between Rs.
30,000 to Rs. 12 lakh based on their turnover by the sale of
chewing tobacco.
The matter will come up for hearing in the apex court March next
year.
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