Kerala chewing tobacco ban provides opportunities for Karnataka traders
The Chief Minister of the Indian state of Kerala, Oommen Chandy, has asked his counterpart in Karnataka, CM Jagadish Shettar, to ban the sale of smokeless tobacco, according to a story in the latest issue of the BBM Bommidala Group newsletter.
The Kerala government outlawed the production and distribution of products such as gutkha and pan masala in May, creating an attractive opportunity for traders from the neighboring states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, the Delhi State Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, has imposed a blanket ban on chewing tobacco products, making the state the 12th to do so in recent times.
The ban covers the manufacture, transportation, storage, display, sale and purchase of chewable forms of tobacco such as gutkha, pan masala, khaini and zarda.
Violations of the ban can lead to a seven year prison term and an Rs100,000 fine.
Apart fromDelhiand Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Gujurat, Rajasthan andPunjabhave implemented bans on chewing tobacco.