To enforce Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, across the state with an iron hand, Punjab Government on Thursday fixed district administration’s accountability.
Instructions have been issued to the district administration to accelerate surveillance in every nook and corner of their respective district to nab the offenders red handed. The district administrations have also been given mandate to book such law brokers and take punitive action at the spot.
“District administration has been instructed to take severe punitive action against the offenders. Under section 4 of the COTPA, a person can be fined up to Rs200 for the crime and the owner of the institution can be fined adding up the total number of offenders in his establishment,” a spokesman said.
“18 districts of the State have already been declared Tobacco Smoke Free Zones relying on the findings of PGIEMR’s Complied Study conducted on the use of Tobacco products in Punjab. Now, the State Government has in principle took a decision to declare the whole of the state ‘Tobacco Smoke Free Zone’. “The provision of COTPA would now be binding on hotels, restaurants, dhabas, and all other commercial establishments,” he said.
All Deputy Commissioners have been asked to constitute ‘Block level task force’ on similar lines of ‘Permanent District level Task Force’. “Apart from Department of Health and Family Welfare, all other department like Police, Education, local Bodies, transport and Excise and Taxation have been instructed to generate all their resources to curb the use of Tobacco and for implementation of COTPA in their district effectively.