UP bans pan masala and gutka in name of controlling COVID-19

Tribune News Service
Lucknow, March 26

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Among the measures to control coronavirus is the chief minister’s decision to ban the sale of gutka and pan masala across the state. After his directions, a formal order banning pan masala was issued on Wednesday.

Justifying the ban, the government says that after chewing people spit the gutka or pan masala which may spread the COVID-19 virus.

As early as on March 5, Lucknow District Magistrate Abhishek Prakash had similarly ordered a ban on the selling of mutton, chicken, and fish in the open in the name of controlling the coronavirus.

An advisory issued by him had among other things also prohibited the sale of frozen meat, semi cooked meat and half-boiled meat among many other restrictions.

Interestingly, soon after assuming office in March 2017, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on April 18, 2017 had banned the selling of gutka and pan masala in government offices.

The banning of gutka and pan masala has a chequered history in the state.

As early as September 18, 2012, the Allahabad High Court had ordered the UP Government to implement the Central government’s direction under the Food Safety Act to restrain the manufacturing, sale and distribution of ‘gutka’ and other products containing tobacco as an ingredient in the state and inform the court after 14 days of the steps it had taken for the compliance of the order.

A Division Bench of Justice Amar Saran and Justice Anurag Kumar had observed that on May 23, 2012 the UP Government had assured the court to be considering prohibiting its sale.

“But instead of putting a ban on the manufacture and sale on gutka, the UP Government has lowered the tax so as to facilitate increased sale of this product,” the court had observed in its order.