707 cases booked under anti-tobacco law in Mangaluru since June

Mangaluru: A total of 707 cases have been registered in Mangaluru since June for violating provisions of the anti-tobacco law, Karnataka police said on Sunday.

With the action taken under the framework of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce) Act (COTPA) against violators, a fine amounting to Rs 71,340 has been collected till now, a statement from the police department said here.

The district tobacco control cell, in collaboration with the Mangaluru taluk health office and 15 city police stations, undertook the measures as part of an ongoing campaign to eradicate narcotic drugs in Dakshina Kannada.

The cases were filed against individuals smoking in public places and for the sale of cigarettes within a 100-metre radius of educational institutions. To enforce rules framed under COTPA, warning boards were installed to alert people about the imposition of a Rs 200 fine for smoking in public areas.

Shop owners were also instructed to ensure that cigarette packs bear cancer warning labels covering 85 per cent of the packaging surface. The highest number of 92 cases were booked and a fine of Rs 9,900 was collected from Mangaluru North police station limits, the statement said.