Govt to replace warning pic on cigarette packs

Amid a raging controversy over the alleged use of English footballer John Terry's blurred picture as pictorial warnings on cigarette packets leading to threats of legal action by him, the government has decided to soon replace the image.

The Department of Audio Visual Publicity (DAVP) today forwarded a set of seven pictures to the Health Ministry for replacing the footballer's picture.

While Health Ministry has confirmed the receipt of the seven set of pictures sent by DAVP today, it is yet to take a decision in selecting the new one.

"The Health Ministry has received a set of pictures from DAVP today. The ministry will soon take a decision on selecting a new picture to be used as pictorial warning on cigarette packets and set to rest any controversy which has arisen unnecessarily," a Health Ministry official said.

The Health Ministry, however, maintained that the blurred picture on which the controversy has cropped up is not that of footballer John Terry.

A top cigarette manufacturing company had also in November last year written to the government about the controversy over the picture and had sought its replacement.