Assam Govt Imposes Complete Ban on Sale of 'Gutkha' & Pan Masala

Guwahati, November 27, 2019:

The Government of Assam, in a bold move, has imposed a complete ban on the sale of gutkhas and pan masalas, containing nicotine and tobacco, in the state.

The ban has been imposed for a year under Clause (A) of Sub-Section 2 of Section 30 of the Food Safety & Security Act, 2006.

ALSO READ: Trinamool Congress to Join Protests against Citizenship Bill

As per an official Assam Government notification, the prohibition has been made under the regulations of 2, 3, 4 of the Food Safety & Standards (Prohibitions and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations 2011 of the Food Safety & Standards Act.

ALSO READ: Assam: Tribal Bodies in Karbi Anglong Demand Govt to Withdraw Citizenship Bill

This is sure to cause immense grief to the 'chewers' of these substances, who cannot go for long without gnawing on these toxic substances. However, at the same time, this move of the Government is likely to be hailed by anti-gutkha activists.

Thus, while we can expect the cries and complaints of the gutkha chewers to ring out across the same, at the same time, we can expect parents, whose wards have taken to chewing these substances, to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Pan masala is widely used across all the strata of society and is freely available in many parts of the country. According to indianjcancer.com, it is carcinogenic, genotoxic, and has harmful effects on the oral cavity, liver, kidneys and reproductive organs.

Support Inside Northeast (InsideNE), an independent media platform that focuses on Citizen-centric stories from Northeast India that are surprising, inspiring, cinematic and emotionally relevant.