Ranchi Gutka Ban Ignored: Paan Shops Continue Sales Despite Health Department Prohibition

Ranchi: Despite a complete ban imposed by the state health, medical education and family welfare department on the manufacture, storage, sale and distribution of gutka and paan masala products containing tobacco and nicotine as ingredients, paan shops across Ranchi surreptitiously continue to sell such products, flouting norms and raising questions over the enforcement on ground. Health department’s additional chief secretary-cum-state food safety commissioner Ajoy Kumar Singh on May 4 imposed the ban on harmful products for a period of one year in the interest of public health.

“…the manufacture, storage, sale and distribution activities of gutka and paan masala containing tobacco or nicotine as ingredients by whatsoever name they are sold/ available – is hereby prohibited under section 30(2) (a) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and Regulation 2.3.4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulation, 2011 for a period of one year,” the order read.

However, a reality check across Ranchi revealed that these products remain easily accessible at every roadside kiosks and paan shops. Shopkeepers were found selling packets of gutka and paan masalas without any hesitation.

“The order is routinely issued every year by the department and they conduct inspection drives for some days. After that the situation becomes normal, which is good for us. We have now stopped displaying the paan masala packets at the shops, but making it available for the customers when they ask it,” a paan shop owner at Kokar area said.

The lack of effective enforcement and monitoring mechanisms has irked the residents, and they dubbed the order as a task done just for the sake. “Gutka and paan masala chewers have turned into a menace in the city. The govt must enforce the order not just to protect public health but to keep the city clean and hygienic,” Shivam Kumar, a Purulia Road resident said.

Ranchi food safety officer Dr Pawan Kumar told TOI that following the ban order, they have conducted raids in two wholesale paan masala shops in the city’s Upper Bazar area on Monday and seized samples to check whether they contain nicotine and tobacco as ingredients or not. “The samples have been tested in national food testing laboratory in Kolkata and the reports are likely to come within a month. Meanwhile, we are keeping a vigil on prohibiting sale and storage of such harmful products and if anyone is found violating the norms they will be penalised as per law,” Kumar added.