PANDM lauds FSA for seizing tobacco products
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, September 05 2021:
People's Action for National Democratic Movement (PANDM) has lauded the state's Food Safety Authority (FSA) for confiscating tobacco products from a shop in Thangal Keithel and disposing them.
In a statement, PANDM informed that a drive was conducted by volunteers of PANDM in coordination with FSA officials under the leadership of designated officer Tekcham Brojendra and PANDM president Yumnamcha Dilipkumar.
The drive was carried out after giving several warnings to the shop owner to stop their trade of tobacco products and they were able to confiscate large quantity of smokeless tobacco products and PANDM is happy that the food safety officials did not waste time in disposing the seized products, the statement said and thanked police for their support in the drive.
Maintaining that lack of initiatives by law enforcing agencies is the prime reason behind the failure of enforcing ban on such products, PANDM also stressed the need for intervention by CSOs.
Smokeless tobacco products such as Zarda not only cause cancers, but also act as a medium of transmission of Covid-19.As a measure to prevent consumption of Zarda, the government banned trading of sweet betel leaves but involvement of high profile individuals behind the trade makes it impossible for the law enforcing agencies to ban this trade, PANDM said, while urging for a concerted effort to enforce the ban effectively.