Hyderabad: The ban on gutka exists only on paper, officials said even as they began the annual ritual of renewing and reissuing the ban in January 2016. Senior health officers say they have no staff to monitor the ban on gutka sales, no vehicles and no godown to keep any stock that is seized. Last year, 150 cases were booked and stocks worth '9 lakh seized, but there is no place to keep them.
A senior officer said, “In Medak, Nalgonda and Adilabad, the seized gutka has been stored in the food inspectors office. We are having a lot of difficulty as there are no vehicles, no people and no proper infrastructure in place to ensure that the ban is effectively implemented.” Several presentations have been made to the state government and health ministry but to no avail.
Due to this reason, senior officers in the health department are very reluctant and feel that the ban exists only on paper. Another officer said, “We know of the places where gutka is openly sold but we are not able to act till a complaint reaches us. Whenever anyone complains, a raid is carried out to appease them.”
With four food inspectors the GHMC area, and a designated officer with two inspectors in every district, it is becoming very difficult to monitor the sale of gutka. Karimnagar and Nizamabad districts have no officers, and personnel have been deputed from Khammam and Adilabad. There are seven posts vacant and more posts need to be to effectively implement the ban, said a senior officer at the Institute of Preventive Medicine.
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