Mockery of Law
In blatant violation of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act 2003 that prohibits selling of tobacco products within a 100 m radius of educational institutions, cigarettes and other such stuff are being sold outside East Delhi colleges with impunity
Shraddha Maheshwari
Early this year DU North Campus was declared a no-smoking zone and students that were caught smoking were fined. Efforts are also on to set up a rehabilitation centre in the North campus for student smokers. Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss were all praise for the efforts made by students in this regard.
Now come to East Delhi colleges, where things stand in stark contrast to the efforts made in North campus. Here outside two colleges, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies in Vivek Vihar and Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, Yamuna Vihar, there are illegal kiosks and vendors selling chewing tobacco and cigarettes. These kiosks lure students and test their will.
The illegal vendors are just within 100 m radius of the educational institutes which is in blatant violation of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 2003 that prohibits the selling of tobacco products within a 100 m radius of educational institutions. Both these colleges are part of Delhi University where a vigorous campaign against smoking was carried out. Why these colleges in East Delhi were left out is beyond one’s understanding? Do those who launched the campaign not think that similar attention should be paid to this part of Delhi?
The most interesting thing is that it does not seem that the vendors are unaware about the law that prohibits them from selling tobacco within a radius of 100m of an educational institution because when our photographer tried to take a picture, most of them tried to avoid it. Seeing the camera, they even stopped selling cigarettes but our photographer somehow managed to do his job. The vendor who sits outside the Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies has a kiosk on the pavement. It is so prominent that there is no way that the police and other authorities can miss it. The vendor opposite Ambedkar College also sells tea and other eatables and students and others are seen sipping tea and taking a puff there.
Smriti Chadda (name changed on request), a college student, says: "All reforms and good things are meant for North Campus and East Delhi colleges are always ignored as if they do not exist. These illegal kiosks cannot run without the knowledge of the police but they have their own interests in letting them work."
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