At Kadirenahalli, tobacco ban up in smoke

Bengaluru: Sri Bhubaneswar Mahila Deva Samaja school is located on 9th Cross, Bendrenagar at Kadirenahalli in Banashankari 2nd stage. Just within 15-30 metres from the school there are two cigarette shops selling cigarettes, gutka and other tobacco products, blatantly violating the rule banning sale of tobacco-related products within 100 yards of educational institutions.

"Right from 6 am, these two shops located near the school start selling tobacco products. Autos, two-wheeler users park their vehicles on the road in front of our houses to buy cigarettes and a cup of tea from these shops. They take few steps from the shop, reach near the school and find a private place next to the school to smoke." complained a resident who did not wished to be named.

The police have hardly taken note of this violation, which is posing a serious threat for the school children, he said.

"This leads to a very disturbing and unhealthy atmosphere for the school children. It is not the sale of cigarettes which is bothering us. It is the smokers coming near the school and setting a very wrong example to the children, who get easily impressed and try to imitate what they see," he added.

Residents even said that they fear getting targeted by the shopkeepers for raising complaints against them.

It is the duty of the local police to carry out regular raids and implement the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), said a parent.

What usually happens is that the cops who come on their beat bikes or the Hoysala vans, just warn the shopkeepers. The moment they are gone, these cunning shopkeepers resume selling tobacco products, a resident said and suggested that hefty fines should be slapped and repeat offences should be dealt seriously. More than the lives of shopkeepers, the future of children is put to threat.

Residents demanded that if the shopkeepers wish they can sell anything, other than tobacco products.

‘We will enforce ban near schools’

Q & A with Mayor Sampath Raj
Even though the sale of tobacco products is banned within 100 yards of educational institutions, we still find the rule violated blatantly?
BBMP in association with the police department and its own health team have been carrying out raids across the city to curb this.

Then why do we still see shops around educational institutions ?
It is the poor and the marginalised who are into selling tobacco products by setting up petty shops. Instead of going after them heavily, our officials are strictly following it up. Some of the shop owners have invested a lot in buying the products and have sought time to clear the stock and do away with the sale of tobacco products.

When we went on to hunt down the illegal flex banners in the city, people took it lightly. But when the news started to spread that the civic body is not going to be silent anymore on the flex banners, the public have stopped putting up banners. This will slowly happen with the sale of tobacco products near educational institutions too.

Residents of 9th Cross Bendrenagar allege that repeated complaints to the police have failed to yield any result?
I shall take up the issue with the officials concerned.