Press Release

Kozhikode Rural Police tightens action against public smokers

Kozhikode, May 18 Kozhikode Rural police has tightened its noose on public smokers, registering a 12-fold increase in the number of public smokers fined/challaned in March over February. Latest figures regarding violators of public smoking ban brought out in the Kerala Police website shows that 595 persons were fined/challaned in March, as against 48 in the previous month. For a six-month period starting October 2012 to March this year, the Kozhikode Rural police fined/challaned a total of 844 persons under Section 4, of the Indian tobacco control law called COTPA 2003, which prohibits smoking in public places. Police action against public smokers netted over Rs 1 lakh by way of fines. Ban on smoking in public places is found to be most enforced in Ernakulam Rural where 4,705 persons were fined or challaned during October-March. Kannur district logs in second with action recorded against 3,988 persons for the same period. Paradoxically, not even a single public smoker has been fined/challaned by the Kozhikode city police during the same period. The lone instance of the city police taking action against a COTPA violation is found recorded in the month of March for breach of Sec 6 (b). As many as 11 persons were fined/challaned and Rs 2,200 collected from this. This move to upload data on police action against violators follows a circular vide 34/2012 by the DGP Shri KS Balasubramanian in which District Police Chiefs were directed to record information on total number of persons fined/challaned and the amount collected thereof, against the various sections of COTPA. Police Chiefs were also asked to include police action against COTPA violations as an agenda item in their monthly crime review meetings. The key COTPA provisions against which all district police chiefs have been directed to take action include prohibition of smoking in public places (Section 4); prohibition on all forms of direct / indirect advertisement, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products (Section 5); prohibition and sale of tobacco products to minors (any person who is under eighteen years of age (Section 6 a); prohibition and sale of tobacco products in an area within a radius of one hundred yards of any educational institution (Section 6 b) and mandatory depiction of specified health warnings on all tobacco products (Section 7). Under COTPA, Sections 4, 6 (a) and 6 (b) are compoundable offences (cases in which on-the-spot fines can be imposed and trial avoided) and violators can be fined up to Rs 200. Sections 5 and 7 are non-compoundable offences. In the case of Section 5, the first offence will attract a fine of Rs 1,000 or 2 years imprisonment or both while subsequent offences will invite a fine of Rs 5,000 or 5 years imprisonment. For breach of Section 7, a producer/manufacturer will be fined Rs.5,000 or 2 years imprisonment or both on their first offence, while a seller/distributor will have to shell out Rs 1,000, undergo an years imprisonment or both. Subsequent offences will entail higher punitive action. District, month and section-wise breakup of COTPA violations are available in the official website of Kerala Police http://www.keralapolice.gov.in/newsite/cotpa.html. Ends

Saikripa, 289, PTP Nagar, Thiruvananthapuram 695 038, Kerala || T: 0471-2361026 || E: tobaccofreekerala@gmail.com ||