Goa: Cigarettes worth crores seized for violation of warning norms

Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) on Thursday launched a crackdown on the tobacco products for flouting the rule of pictorial warning and seized cigarettes worth Rs 8.63 crore. 

The Centre, in its notification issued in September 2015, under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules 2014, had stipulated that tobacco products manufactured from April 1, 2016 onwards will carry pictorial warnings covering 85 per cent of the display area on the packet.

The FDA also raided major Clearing and Forwarding Agents' depots, distributors, and stockists across the state.

 FDA Director Salim Veljee said cigarettes worth Rs 8.63 crore were seized by the teams for flouting the display rule. The raids were conducted at Mapusa, Panaji, Verna, Zuari Nagar, and Sancoale.

Salim Veljee FDA Director

Various teams of FDA went to check whether the mandatory rule for pictorial health warning covering 85% of the principal display area on the cigarette pack was adhered to.

"At present, the crackdown has mainly focused on the supplier's chain source end across the state and this action over such massive quantities will definitely serve as a deterrent to all other retailers and kiosks to immediately remove defective packages from their shelves," he said.

Veljee said the FDA officials shall continue to crack down on such products at other places in the state in the coming days.