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.
