New laws likely on tobacco ban

The State Government might be on the verge of enacting new laws to ban smoking and smokeless tobacco although the existing ones relating to display of tobacco products continue to witness rampant violation.
Display of advertising hoardings promoting tobacco products directly or indirectly continues to be on a high with very minimum efforts coming from the concerned authorities to remove these illegal hoardings which were put up violating the Section 5 of the COTPA (Cigarette and Other Tobacco Product Act).
However, if sources are to be believed, the authorities are now contemplating legal action against the tobacco manufacturing companies.
The Section 5 of the COTPA prohibits advertisement which directly or indirectly suggests or promotes use or consumption of cigarettes or any other tobacco products.
“We had taken steps to make aware the pan shop owners about the laws but it had hardly yielded results for us except in few areas. We are now contemplating legal action,” sources pointed out, adding that infringement of the Section 5 is going on in almost all the localities of Guwahati as well as other places with the tobacco companies pushing that extra hard to promote their brands.
Sources, however, maintained that the drive to remove banners and hoardings put up in violation of the laws would go simultaneously.
As per the amendment rule of the Section 5 of the COTPA, tobacco products can be advertised in the package containing tobacco products, on the entrance and inside a warehouse storing tobacco products and at the point of sale or distribution only.
But presence of hoardings advertising tobacco products, larger than the prescribed size (60cm x 45cm) at the point of sale and more than two boards at one point of sale are regarded as violation of the Section 5.
Illuminated or backlit boards at the point of sale, open display of tobacco products by a shop owner for sale, indirect/surrogate advertisement of tobacco production in any form such as in apparel, sports gear, accessories and others are also not allowed.
Sources further rue that the cigarette companies have also compelled the pan shop owners to display the cigarette products openly by signing a deal where they (the companies) will renovate the shops with preconditions of proper display of the cigarette brands.
In Guwahati and other major towns cigarette companies have renovated pan shops by fixing hoardings larger than (60 cm x 45 cm) size displaying their brand names without exhibiting the pictorial warnings.