Mohali: Tobacco vendors fear corruption if buying age made 21

MOHALI: The tobacco vendors’ associations in Mohali have alleged that increasing the minimum age limit from 18 years to 21 years for buying tobacco products will encourage corruption. They alleged that the ground-level officers would harass them if the age was capped at 21 years.
The association said they would call upon the local bodies’ minister, Brahm Mohindra, and urge him to withdraw imposition of licence for vendors.
Varun Kumar, general secretary of the tobacco retailer’s association, said: “We are already going through tough times due to the draconian law enforced upon tobacco vendors. Now, increasing the minimum age limit to 21 years will further facilitate corruption and will also affect sales which will bring down the earnings of small-time vendors. The government must defend the lively hood of vendors instead of forcing them to close down their businesses.”
Tobacco sellers opposed the Mohali municipal corporation’s notification on making it mandatory for them to obtain licence for selling tobacco products in the district. They also approached the health minister, Balbir Singh Sidhu, and urged him not to increase the age limit.
A few days ago, while criticizing the notification, a group of tobacco vendors in the city had also called upon mayor Kulwant Singh terming the decision as draconian law which might deprive them of their lively hood.
The mayor said: “A group of vendors desired reversal of the decision of procuring licence to sell tobacco under the MC limits, but their request has been turned down. We will go strict on tobacco sellers as we have been receiving many complaints against them as they are selling banned products and selling tobacco to under-age children. Selling tobacco to children below 18 years is an offence.” The mayor said while drafting the fee structure for attaining the licence, the MC would see that the vendors do not have to shell out hefty amount. Vendors had requested that they were poor and earned only Rs 150 to Rs 300 per day and if they had to pay for the licence fee, their earnings would decrease. They also feared that the licence regime would make them a victim of the inspector ‘raaj’.