The Herald Goa, India. 27 de septiembre de 2012

FDA bans tobacco products at eateries
September 27, 2012

TEAM HERALD

teamherald@herald-goa.com



PANJIM: Director of Food and Drugs Administration has banned eateries from keeping or selling or providing any tobacco or tobacco products in any form – cigars, cigarettes, biddies, gutka or hookahs within their premises.

The order issued on Wednesday, is a result of a Bombay High Court, Bombay bench judgement, on 13th July 2011, which directed all municipal corporation/councils to ensure that tobacco products are not permitted at the eating places.

With Goa coming under the jurisdiction of the Bombay High Court, the State government directed all Government agencies namely municipalities, panchayats, health services/ health centres, Tourism and Food and Drugs Administration to instruct all their subordinate offices, who are involved in the issue of NOC/approvals/licences for eating outlets in the State to primarily incorporate a specific condition, conveying amongst other conditions of NOC/approvals/licences that eating houses or establishments shall not keep or sell or provide any tobacco or tobacco related products in any form of cigars, cigarettes, biddies, gutka, hookahs, etc at their respective approved eating places.

“Any instance of detection of such non-compliances shall be dealt with severely under the law in force,” Director of FDA Salim Veljee said in a statement.

The government has also directed all local bodies and regulatory agencies to have independent mechanisms to verify the compliances of these conditions as incorporated in their respective licences.
The government has also directed Police department to conduct special surveillances drives especially during evening hours to keep a check on whether eateries are abiding by the law and if not to book the offenders under the law.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a shack owner admitted that they would be the worst hit especially with regard to hookahs.
“There’s nothing like smoking a hookah by the beach and watching the sun set. This was a huge hit among both domestic as well as foreign tourists”, he said adding that they would without doubt respect the law.
A bar owner, who also did not wish to be named, on the other hand said the government passes such laws but never implements them.
“Do you think selling is going to stop? Gutkha was banned earlier, but it is still available. This is very difficult to implement. The business of selling cigarettes will continue. It will just go underground,” he said.

Tomado de:

http://oheraldo.in/News/Main%20Page%20News/FDA-bans-tobacco-products-at-eateries/64878.html