A Punjab level Sensitisation Workshop for members of district level Task Force for Tobacco and Nicotine Control was held on Monday in which instructions were issued to check abuse of tobacco and nicotine in hotels and eateries and to detect any functional hookah bar and illegal sale of e-cigarettes, loose cigarettes and flavoured chewable tobacco.
The workshop was held in the State Institute of Health & Family Welfare Mohali under Chairmanship of Hussan lal Secretary Health cum Commissioner FDA, Speaking on the occasion, he said the state health department was taking stringent steps to curb this menace adding that all kinds of chewable tobacco and sale of loose cigarettes have already been banned in Punjab and licence of a commercial establishment could be cancelled in case of violation of Tobacco Control Act as per latest notification of Punjab Government. .
Karanjit Singh, Director Health and Family welfare said COTPA was being effectively implemented and Monitored regularly at State level by Vini Mahajan, Principal Secretary Health.Addressing the workshop, he said the objectives of State level Sensitisation Workshop for members of district level Task Force was to sensitise the members of task force regarding latest notifications for Tobacco/Nicotine Control.
Rakesh Gupta, State Programme Officer State Tobacco Control Cell, elaborated that compliance studies have been completed by School of Public Health PGI Chandigarh and compliance to Section 4 of COTPA has been found to be much more than the benchmark of 80% in all the districts.