Margao: March 23, 2018 … Dy. Collector, Shri Paresh Fal Dessai chairing a meeting of the District Level Co-ordination Committee for Tobacco Control urged the enforcement team to conduct vigorous enforcement drives in their respective talukas emphasised the need to send a strong signal to all and sundry that the committee is serious with violations of the COTPA Act. The teams through their drives need to focus on creating awareness among the traders and the users on the after effects of Tobacco products rather than colleting revenue through challans, he remarked.
This meeting was attended by members consisting of senior government officials from various departments and Goacan members at Collectorate, Margao yesterday.
The District Level Co-ordination Committee for Tobacco Control also decided to observe the forthcoming World No Tobacco Day on the theme Tobacco & Heart Disease’ by having functions across all talukas in the South District with special stress on effect of tobacco on health related diseases.
The members decided to have the awareness campaign one week prior and one week after the observance of No Tobacco Day to be celebrated on May 31, 2018 by involving PTA of all school and its students including volunteers of Nehru Yuva Kendra of the District to create mass awareness and ensure effective campaign with large participation and success to the fortnight campaign.
The Committee also decided to have two day training cum workshop to all the enforcement teams and the committee members to keep them abreast with the latest amendments to the act apart from various ways and means to convince those into it to give the habit.
The Committee also discussed in details various other aspects like hardships faced by the enforcement wings and the no. of raids that were carried out in various talukas.
