Sale of tobacco products goes unabated in Nellore

Nellore: Even during the lockdown, the transportation of tobacco products into the district from other parts of the country has been going on unabated. The administration is making all out efforts to restrict the movement of people, but the contrabands are being smuggled into the district freely. When people are facing hardships for essential commodities, gutka, khaini, and other products are readily available in city, but at higher rates. Most of the banned products were being clandestinely transported from Chennai, Bengaluru, and other places during the lockdown. The illegal sale has been continuing irrespective of the raids by the enforcement officials.

These tobacco products are being concealed in vehicles which carry essential commodities. The produces are being sold mostly to regular customers. Some traders have been getting the stocks from the parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka while some others through their own vehicles. Majority traders have been getting the stocks from the dealers in Bengaluru city. Recently, Kavali police conducted raids on a warehouse located in the outskirts and seized cash of Rs. 41 lakhs and some stocks of gutka packets. A retired policeman from Tada Mandal said that producers and traders of Tamil Nadu were able to smuggle stocks freely to Andhra Pradesh without any hurdles.

Further, medical experts say the number of oral cancers has been increasing steadily due to regular consumption of tobacco. Red Cross Cancer Hospital in Nellore, SVIMS, and a private cancer hospital in Ongole have been witnessing a huge number of oral cancer cases.