• NET Web Desk

On Saturday, September 4, the Manipur Food Safety department has destroyed a huge amount of tobacco products and expired commodities seized from shops.

These products were burnt-in at the campus of the Solid Waste Management Plant, Lamdeng, Imphal West.

The security forces have seized such products during a raid that took place after the reopening of curfew imposed in the state due to spike in COVID-19 cases, as informed by Food Safety official, Imphal West Tekcham Brojendro.

He further added that shops continued to sell such products despite restrictions imposed by the Union Government.

Such products were openly sold across the state by several business establishments.

The official shared that products destroyed worth around Rs 50,000 as per Maximum Retail Price (MRP).

However, such products will be valuing worth around Rs 1 lakh in the local markets, across the state.

Furthermore, around Rs 40,000 has been imposed on the various shops for selling such confiscated consumable products.

It is pertinent to mention here that although Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, restricts surrogate advertisement of tobacco companies but it has been seen that these companies failed to bring any impacts on the citizens.

Time and again, such advertisements have been considered as responsible for such effects.