Tobacco Products Sales Banned

A clause in Section 6 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) prohibits sale of tobacco products within 100-metre radius of educational institutes, but there are several areas in the city where the rule is being defied. Even after complaints by some colleges, many stalls within this radius are openly selling items like cigarettes and gutkhas. However, most of the colleges are taking all necessary steps to ensure that students do not smoke on the campuses. Places like Fergusson College (FC) Road and Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce (BMCC) Road have several shops and stalls selling tobacco products. The police department and Pune Municipal Corporation have not taken any action in spite of colleges sending letters to them to remove such stalls. So now the colleges are trying their best to control the menace at least on the campuses. FC principal Ravindra Pardeshi said, "We had written to the police department and PMC about a year ago, but did not get a reply and the stalls are still functioning. However, we have kept our campus completely smoke free. We are trying to spread awareness about the problems through films and seminars." Similarly, BMCC principal C N Rawal is also facing the same problem. "There are numerous stalls selling tobacco products near our college. We are not sure if they are unauthorised but we have not lodged a formal complaint. We have tried talking to them but they still continue to sell such products. Our students have carried out a survey on tobacco products. We are planning to prepare a presentation of the results and take it to different schools and colleges to spread awareness," he said. Other colleges like Marathwada Mitra Mandal's Commerce College (MMCC) is taking a strict stand to fight the problem. "There are stalls selling tobacco products near our college. However, we have mentioned in our prospectus that any student caught smoking will be severely punished. We also keep regular tabs on our canteen to see that such activities do not take place on our campus. We have also pasted government's anti-smoking circular on all floors and in canteens," said principal M D Lawrence.