Acting under the directives of Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma, Chief Medical Officer of Dehradun, the District Tobacco Control Cell of Dehradun conducted inspections of tobacco retail shops within the Sahaspur development block. In coordination with the police team from the Selaqui Police Station, inspections were carried out in the vicinity of ICFAI University. During the operation, the team inspected 20 shops; of these, 11 tobacco vendors were found to be in violation of the COTPA Act. Several vendors were found selling tobacco products in close proximity to educational institutions. Consequently, fines and challans were issued against these vendors in accordance with the relevant sections of the Act. The team collected a total of ₹2,010 in fines from these individuals.
It is pertinent to note that, under the provisions of the COTPA Act, the sale of tobacco products near educational institutions is prohibited. Furthermore, the sale of tobacco products without the mandatory health warnings regarding the harmful effects of tobacco is illegal.
The inspection team comprised Sub-Inspector Kirpal Singh, Head Constable Mahendra, Constable Sandeep Singh, District Consultant for the Tobacco Control Cell Archana Uniyal, and social workers Rekha and Anurag Uniyal.
