Despite a ban notification in the State for five years, gutkha is hugely available everywhere and the State machinery has failed to take action against the errant.
After a PIL filled by the Nasha Mukti Yuva Sankalp (NMYS) in the Orissa High Court in 2012, the State Government in January 3, 2013 had put a ban on gutkha, pan masala and other tobacco/nicotine containing food stuffs. However, no such action is seen so far after ban notification. Now, the tobacco industries have separated the pouches. There is open sale of gutkha and pan masala just in two separate pouches.
Md. Imran Ali, Sankalpi, NMYS and petitioner against gutkha said that the cause of concern is the popularity of tobacco is high among the children and youths.
There is no mechanism of the State to control locally made gundi, dokta etc which are very popular among the villages as well.
The Government officials are blaming each other and confused between two legislations like FSS Act and COTPA. The Food Safety Commission has been found inactive in enforcing gutkha ban notification, he said.
Similarly, the State nodal office for tobacco control and the police department also are found inactive in enforcing the law, said Ali, adding that none cares about a law which prohibits the sale of all tobacco products to/by minors and sale of all tobacco products within 100 yards of any educational institutions (Section 6, COTPA, 2003).
He appealed the Government and common people to be more active on this front. Notably, as per NFHS-4 report (2016) in India, 45 per cent male and 7 per cent females are addicted to tobacco in any form while it is much bigger in Odisha compared to national average.
In Odisha, 55 per cent males and 17 per cent females consume tobacco in any form.