Maharashtra school principals scared to fine tobacco vendors, finds survey

Four days into the anti-tobacco campaign that had been ‘strictly enforced’ from January 10, principals have not fined any tobacco sellers with in close proximity to their school or college premises.

And FDA officers, who have been given the same powers, have just fined18 schools that violated the anti-tobacco laws.

After a gap of nearly six months, the state medical education and drug control department has jumped into action.

“Around 21 different authorities have been given a right to implement anti-smoking laws. This includes departments such as excise, sales tax, revenue, labour, industries, small scale industries, besides the food inspectors of FDA, respective corporations, councils, and even the village level officials of the gram panchayat,” said a top FDA official.

According to senior officials, the minister of state Satej Patil conducted a series of meetings with FDA officials from the district level in the first week of January. “This was followed by an internal announcement of the anti-tobacco implementation week. While the ban on consumption on tobacco products also says that there should not be any shop selling tobacco products within 100 metres of an educational institutions,” FDA joint commissioner PR Uttarwar.

However, interestingly, only 18 shops near educational institutions have been monitored in Mumbai and the total fine collected is a mere Rs400.
Meanwhile, a survey of schools and colleges by Nashabandhi Mandal, an organisation working on anti-tobacco addiction campaigns, found that not many school principals in Mumbai have used their authority to penalise tobacco sellers with in one and half kilometres of the educational institutes.

The survey proves that there is still widespread amongst the school and college heads. Despite of the home department issuing a government resolution (GR) in December to all schools and colleges, many of them are unaware of their powers. “We have only heard it through the media but have not been given any details about further action like what will to do with the amount of fine collected etc,” said Suhas Pednekar, principal, Ramnarain Ruia College, Dadar.

However, Varsha Vidya Vilas, secretary of the anti-tobacco organisation says that while conducting the survey, one of the members of the organisation received a threat from the local corporator, when he tried to instigate a principal to fine a tobacco vendor in Byculla. “We were surprised to see that many tobacco vendors are registered under corporators’ names. Most of the principals we interviewed said they were scared of taking action,” said Vilas.

The organisation has also proposed to increase the amount of fine. Under this campaign, state can levy a fine of Rs 1000, while principals can only demand Rs 300. “The government should increase the amount so that paying heavy fines will pinch the vendors and they will shut the shop,” said Marie Fernandes, principal, St Andrews College, Bandra.