Bhopal: Strict implementation of vender licensing and strict compliance of sections 4 to 7 COTPA 2003 is must to save children from the tobacco related health hazards, opined delegates attending a workshop on Tobacco Control here on Monday. National Centre for Human Settlements & Environment (NCHSE) in partnership with Consumer Voice had organized the state level dissemination workshop to sensitize stakeholders to support tobacco vendor licensing and effective tobacco control measures.
NCHSE, director general Dr Pradip Nandi spoke on the magnitude of tobacco consumption in India and Madhya Pradesh and their health impacts, especially on youth. The chairperson of the workshop Nirmala Buch said that if the restriction on poppy cultivation for opium production could be imposed, why not the same could be applied for tobacco production.
Additional Commissioner, Bhopal Municipal Corporation, Malika Nagar, admitted that illegal selling of tobacco products specially in slum areas of city was rampant. She informed that BMC grants only limited licenses and was also taking several measures to check selling of tobacco products to the children/youth below the age of 18 years. Zonal Officers have been entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring of compliance of COTPA, she added. JN Cancer Hospital Dr Sangeeta Singh informed that tobacco is a major cause of cancer which makes the effected families financially and emotionally.
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