Panaji: May 13, 2015 … The meeting of District level Co-ordination Committee on Tobacco Control was held in the Conference hall of Mathany Saldhana Administration Complex, South Goa, Margao under the Chairmanship of the District Collector Dr. Sachin Shinde (IAS) who reviewed the minutes of the last meeting to access preparedness “World No Tobacco Day” on May 31st in South Goa.
At the meeting, the Collector deliberated on ensuring smoking free in public places by empowering the Mamlatdars, Directorate of Panchayats, BDO, FDA besides other Government officers and Education Institute to persist intensive drive in their respective Jurisdiction to achieve tangible results.
In order to protect non-smoker, the action plan will take Cigarette and Other Tobacco Product Act 2003 (COPTA) activities seriously to meet maximum target by issuing challan to violators of the Tobacco Control Act in public places mostly in hotels, restaurants and Gadda within the vicinity of Education Institutes in South Goa.
The Collector also directed Education Department to organise drawing and poster making competition on ill effects of tobacco besides painting of respective school compound wall with anti tobacco messages to bring awareness among the public on Tobacco Control Act.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has designated this year’s theme “Stop Illicit Tobacco Trade”. To this effect a workshop on illicit tobacco trade training was also proposed to be held for the newly appointed Mamlatdars, BDO’s and officers from the Police Department besides others to tackle the issue of illicit tobacco trade to ensure preventive measures under COPTA. For this, assistance will be taken from resource persons from Goa Institute of Public Administration & Rural Development (GIPARD), Custom & Excise Law enforcement and Taluka Administration.
May 31st being the “World No Tobacco Day” the Collector has issued instructions to the concerned officers to organise public awareness campaign’s on Health and Societal impacts of tobacco.
