Punjab Police has lent a hand to the State Health Department’s tobacco control activities across the State. All the Commissioners of Police (CoPs), Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) and Government Railway Police (GRP) Additional Inspector General (AIG) have been directed to strictly enforce the anti-tobacco law in the State.
The instructions, issued by the Punjab Bureau of Investigation (PBI) director has asked for the enforcement of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA).
Directions have also been issued to regular review of COTPA implementation in their monthly crime review (MCR) meetings and regular collection of violation related data, implementation of Juvenile Justice (JJ)
Act, 2015, regarding sale of Tobacco to minors, Poisons Act regarding serving of Nicotine as E-Cigarettes and Hukkah Bars and Motor Vehicle Act regarding smoking in vehicles.
The action came in response to the State level Coordination Committee (SlCC) and State level Monitoring Committee (SlMC) meeting held on March 28 this year under the chairpersonship of the State Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Vini Mahajan.
She said that it is the responsibility of every stakeholder department and civil society who are members of the State and District
level Coordination Committee to create awareness about hazards of tobacco and implement the
anti-tobacco or nicotine laws effectively.
The role of Police Department is quite crucial to control the menace of tobacco and nicotine. Police department is the fulcrum on
which the success of tobacco control rests.