Fight gutka smugglers out While the FDA has been raiding sellers of this banned item, Maharashtra addicts are depending on supply from neighbouring states

Fight gutka smugglers out

While the FDA has been raiding sellers of this banned item, Maharashtra addicts are depending on supply from neighbouring states

After two failed attempts, Maharashtra has succeeded in banning gutka and paan masala. As a result, this carcinogenic product, which is a bane to human health, is not freely available to the common man anymore. As with all banned items, this prohibited item, too, has gone underground and it continues to be supplied insidiously for the addicts. However, in the past two months, the Food and Drug Administration has managed to seize gutka and pan masala worth Rs8 crore. “The best part of the ban is that it will discourage the addicts since gutka will now be a costly indulgence,” said Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, oncological surgeon from Tata Memorial Hospital who has played a key role in getting the ban implemented. During a recent survey conducted on behalf of Voice of Tobacco Victims (VoTV), it was found that the positive impact of the ban is that gutka is no longer easily available to the common man. However, addicts are still getting their fix if they have a friendly paanwala. Santosh Jangam who was part of the study said, “At least 40% of gutka-chewers are not able to get gutka easily. Only people with a good rapport with the seller get their supply. But, they can buy it only in bulk, like a box of 50 or 75 packets. Single pouches are rarely being sold these days to avoid police ‘hassle’.” While the price hike is a deterrent for occasional chewers and those who want to experiment, long-term gutka consumers and addicts don’t seem to be affected by it, and retailers are enjoying the profits that the increased price is giving them. “Wholesalers have hiked their price and so have the retailers, as they know their regular customers would buy the stock in bulk. Also, now they don’t have to sell single pouches and look forward to tiny profits,” said Jangam. State FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade said while the FDA was fighting a legal battle against the manufacturers of gutka and paan masala to continue the ban in the state, his officers were busy in stringently enforcing the ban. “Local manufacturing has stopped. After raids at shops for gutka and paan masala, our focus now is on tracking the smuggling of these products from neighbouring states. We are trying our best to convince the neighbouring states to ban gutka and paan masala so that we can completely plug its supply in Maharashtra,” said Zagade.