All tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, bidis, gutka and hukkah, have been banned

In a move that is bound to invite as much praise as flak from the people, the government in Goa has decided to ban the sale of all kinds of tobacco products in the state, including cigarettes, cigars, bidis, gutka and hukkah. In the instructions issued, all existing kiosks, shops and eating outlets have been asked not to stock and sell tobacco in any form. And for all new establishments, no selling of tobacco products will be one of the conditions for issuing of license.

The announcement has been made in the light of an order of the Bombay bench of the High Court of Bombay that came out in July last year. The order was, to a large degree, the result of the efforts of an anti-tobacco organisation, the National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), which has been campaigning against use of tobacco in public places for years.

According to the official statement, agencies like municipalities, panchayats, health centres and food and drugs administration will also form their own procedures of ensuring compliance of the orders. Besides these, surveillance drives will be carried out by the police in bars and hukka joints to book anyone who is breaking the law.