On 20th June 2017 it was announced in the Pradeshik Samachar that the A& N administration has decided to withdraw ban on consumption of tobacco leaves ( Sukha Patti ) , mostly used by manual labourers in rural areas. In India mostly Hindi belt rural people use Sukha Patti called “Khaini”.
It is popular among people from Jharkhand living in rural Andaman . Earlier, the administration had banned all forms of tobacco which resulted in negative reaction among people habituated to Khaini especially manual labourers .Ultimately the local administration had to withdraw ban on consumption of tobbaco leaves. The local administration headed by Lt. Governor Shri Jagdish Mukhi has taken a wise and bold decision over ban on use of gutka and zarda in A & N Islands.
Highly addictive and a known carcinogen, it is the subject of much controversy in India. Before the ban, the consumption of gutka and Zarda ( in the form of Supari + zarda called Kagaj Pan ) was highest in A & N Islands in terms of population as well as quantity compared to other states in India.
The consumption of gutka and zarda is very common among all the age groups which has been the main cause of cancer of mouth, throat, lung, oesophagus, heart disease and many ailments. After gutka is consumed, it is generally spat onto a wall or at the ground causing red stain which is resistant to the elements and is a common feature in all the public places and buildings in these Islands.
Promoted as a mouth freshener, this mixture is a combination of 4000 chemicals of which atleast 40 are carcinogenic compounds. Earlier, different branded gutka and varieties of Zarda were available in all the markets at every corner of the islands.
But the implementation of ordinance on ban on these tobacco in these islands has brought a great relief to the general public who support Swacch Bharat Mission and also the families who are victims .The police authority and local officials have started search operations to implement this mission and make the islands free from Tobacco .But unfortunately , this mission of our Lt. Governor could not achieve100% success as few unscrupulous suppliers and pan shops are still selling Zarda Pan at a high rate . In some places, shop owners use Bidi tobacco in place of Zarda which is highly hazardous to health. Police dept. has to take strong action against these shopkeepers.
More efforts are needed on the part of authorities to make these Islands 100% tobacco free. Stringent laws such as heavy fines upto 50,000 and imprisonment varying from 3years to 10 years can only make this mission a success.
Leave a Reply