GUWAHATI: More than five months after the Supreme Court issued a ban on the sale of tobacco products in plastic pouches with effect from March 1, all small and big manufacturers of chewing tobacco and pan masala are now violating the rule openly. This has been revealed in a recent survey conducted by the Voluntary Health Association of India and eight other partner organizations in the States of Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. In Assam the survey was conducted by the Voluntary Health Association of Assam (VHAA) in Kamrup and Golaghat districts. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati today, VHAA executive secretary Ruchira Neog said, “We carried out the survey to ascertain whether gutka/pan masala companies are still selling their products in plastic pouches. It has been found that despite the ban imposed with effect from March 1, plastic pouches are widely sold as government agencies have not taken any action against the companies, traders or retailers selling plastic pouches.” Neog further said, “We visited a total of 76 shops. In all the shops visited, 22 different brands were available. Pouches of guthka and pan masala manufactured before March 1 were seen. As they were manufactured before the ban came into effect, the pouches were plastic. There were several plastic pouches without the manufacturing date/ batch number printed on them. Clearly this has been done so that the manufacturers can flout the law easily. Five brands such as Shikhar Premium, Shikhar Guthka, Bandar Brand Tobacco, Swagat Gold Guthka and Bahar were manufactured after March 1. Packaging of Shikhar Guthka, Bandar Brand Tobacco and Swagat Gold Guthka are totally in plastic pouches. The remaining brands like Shikhar Premium and Bahar use pouches that have paper on the outside and plastic layers on the inside. It is often difficult to separate the plastic layer and the paper.” VHAA member Niva Deori said, “Out of the total 76 vendors interviewed, 42 per cent are aware of the fact that selling guthka and pan masala in plastic pouches is a punishable offence. About 18 per cent said that officials had visited their shops for checking whether the ban had been imposed. These checks were done by the police and municipal bodies and no one penalized them for violation. All the samples collected were purchased at a higher rate of 50-100 per cent of the MRP.” Neog added, “Guthka and other forms of chewing tobacco sold in small pouches across the country have become a serious health hazard. Guthka and pan masala are marketed as mouth freshners and this habit catches on at a young age. Measures have to be taken to ensure that the ban imposed by the Supreme Court on sale of guthka and pan masala in plastic pouches is effectively implemented.”