Daijiworld Media Network – Mapusa

Mapusa, Nov 15: In a major action against the illegal sale of tobacco products, the Mapusa Municipal Council on Friday seized 1,015 packets of gutkha and other tobacco items from vendors operating around the Mapusa bus stand and market area. A total of 20 vendors were penalised during the drive.

Of the seized stock, 900 were gutkha packets and 115 were other forms of tobacco, with the value running into several thousand rupees. The crackdown was conducted under the State-wide “Tobacco-Free Bus Stand” campaign initiated by GOACAN.

The municipal team was led by inspector Prajwal Dhargalkar, accompanied by supervisor Anand Talwar, workers Prakash Pujari and Amit Shetye, and representatives of GOACAN. Raids were carried out at 10 locations, following which penalties were imposed on those involved in the illegal sales.

Inspector Dhargalkar said the drive was undertaken on the instructions of the chief officer and assured that similar enforcement action would continue in the coming days.

This is not the first such operation in Mapusa. Two years ago, the council had seized tobacco goods worth ?3 to ?4 lakh from a vendor during a similar raid. Those items, kept at the Cunchelim waste plant without proper disposal, later went missing. No inquiry into the disappearance has been initiated so far.