Patna,(BiharTimes): The ban on gutka and pan masala, which was introduced more than three years ago has been rendered useless as its sale continue in the form of separate packs.
A study conducted in Bihar by John Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Centre for Communication and Change-India in collaboration with World Health Organization Country Office for India revealed that 94% of retailers were selling gutka ingredients in separate packs.
A total of 451 retail outlets were surveyed and among them 60 were thoroughly observed and none of those 60 had the display board declaring ‘sale of tobacco products to minors is prohibited.’
Out of them, nine were located within 100 yards of an educational institution, which is a violation of Tobacco Control Act, 2003. The study was conducted in seven other states namely Assam, Delhi, Gujrat, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
The objective of the survey, which was conducted in Patna and Gaya with the consumers of gutka and tobacco product retailers, was to analyze the effectiveness of the ban.
A stroll in various parts of Patna speaks about the futile nature of the ban. Many betel shop owners in Rajendra Nagar, Kankarbagh, Exhibition Road among others display pan masala and scented tobacco packs with no fear of the authority.
“I get pan masala and other smokeless tobacco products from the wholesalers and that is the end of the story. I am not concerned with anything else,” said a betel shop owner in Gandhinagar, Kankarbagh. Separate packs of pan masala and scented tobacco which should cost Rs 5 together, is being sold for Rs 6 all over the city. One of the betel shop owners in Rajendra Nagar said that pan masala and zarda are sold everywhere without any trouble.
The study shows that 35 to 53% of people started consuming gutka when they were below 20 years of age while 56% of the retailers were approached by suppliers to store gutka ever since the ban was introduced. The most interesting thing about the findings was that 97% of the retailers support the ban.
A workshop was conducted to present the findings of the survey and to talk about the problems related to oral cancer. The fact sheet of the survey was released on Wednesday by Afzal Imam, Mayor, Patna. He was accompanied by Dr. V.P Singh from Voice of Tobacco Victims, Dr. Ranjeet Sinha, community medicine department (PMCH) and Sanjeeta Agnihotri, Program Officer at John Hopkins University, Delhi.
Two oral cancer patients, who recently underwent cancer treatments in Patna, named Sanjay Jha and Pramod Dhar were also present to share their experiences. “I lost everything, I had to sell my land to undergo the treatment. I had the habit of chewing tobacco while driving,” said Sanjay, who was a taxi driver in Kolkata before he was diagnosed with tongue cancer.
“I was a chain smoker, suddenly I was diagnosed with oral cancer in June 2014 and my family was shocked. My son had to leave his lucrative job in Mumbai to help me during the treatment,” said Pramod , who is a trained accountant.
“These awareness programs should be conducted in open areas so that more and more people become aware about the problem,” said the Mayor.
“India is the capital of oral cancer of the world,” said Dr. V.P Singh. He stressed that people should not delay treatment till the terminal stage. “Most of the people do not seek treatment due to fear psychosis which ultimately makes matters worse.”
Safdar Ali, who presided over the function, said that workshops like this should be conducted in front of policy-makers to make this initiative more effective.
The Global Adult Tobacco Survey or GATS India report 2009-10 tells that in Bihar every second adult or 49% of the total adult population consumes smokeless tobacco products. Almost 62% of the males and 35 % of the females above the age of 15 are the current users.
The study recommended that the enforcement mechanism needs to be stringent for proper implementation of the ban.
