Crack down on sale of tobacco products near Kangra schools
The Kangra police have cracked down on people selling banned tobacco and pan masala products around schools in the district. Raids were conducted on shops around schools in Kangra and banned products like “Cool Lip” and “khaini” were seized.
SSP Kangra Shallini Agnihotri said raids were conducted as part of a police campaign against drug abuse in the district. Today on the basis of complaints received from the public across the district, a special raid was conducted on shops located within 100m of educational institutions. During the campaign, 1,490 kg of tobacco material was seized under the COTPA Act. The confiscated material included 12 bags of “Cool Lip” and 46 bags of “khaini”, she said.
The police took necessary legal action on the spot and issued 115 challans under the COTPA Act and collected a fine of Rs 25,000 and registered a case against six shopkeepers. The main objective of this action was to save children and youths from drug addiction and to effectively curb the illegal drug trade. Shopkeepers had been clearly warned by the police that strict legal action would be taken if they were found involved in such illegal activity, she said.
Agnihotri said tobacco products were the first route to enter the pit of addiction, which gradually lead a person towards synthetic drugs. The consumption of tobacco weakens the mental and physical condition of a person, due to which he is attracted towards other intoxicants. The public has also been appealed to actively cooperate in this. If any person gets information about illegal drug trade or suspicious activities in his area, he/she should immediately inform the police so that quick and effective action could be taken. The purpose of this warning given by the police is to save society from the danger of drug abuse and provide a safe future to the youth. This police campaign would continue in future as well and strict vigil would be maintained on illegal drug dealers and strict legal action be taken against the culprits, she said.
