Margao: A month after the district administration launched a crackdown on the sale of tobacco products near educational institutions on Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s directions, the drive appears to have lost momentum, with shops once again openly flouting the law.
The crackdown followed a report in ‘The Navhind Times’ highlighting the rampant sale of tobacco near schools and colleges. Taking cognisance of the issue, the chief minister’s office had directed district collectors to initiate strict action.
Acting on the directive, the South Goa mamlatdar had raided four shops in Margao and seized tobacco products worth over Rs 1.5 lakh.
However, no follow-up action has been taken since, and the illegal sale of tobacco products has resumed, with shops reportedly selling them within 10 metres of educational institutions—well within the 100-yard no-sale zone mandated by law.
Sources in the South Goa collectorate said that although a roster for anti-tobacco enforcement is occasionally prepared, the drives remain sporadic and inconsistent.
A meeting related to the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), which was scheduled for April 24, has been postponed again, with the new date set for April 30.
