GUWAHATI, Oct 11 - The Juvenile Justice Act is applicable on any person who offers or sells tobacco products to any minor. The provisions of this Act are now being strictly implemented in Assam, with offenders facing imprisonment up to seven years and fine up to Rs 1 lakh.
The Assam Police, CID, has issued a circular in this connection recently, directing the Deputy Commissioner of Police of Guwahati and Superintendents of Police of all districts of the State to implement the provisions of the Act, said a statement issued here.
Issuing the directives, DIG (CID) Rounak Ali Hazarika has instructed that one police officer in each police station should be designated as a child welfare officer under Section 107(1). The Act had been amended to include these provisions on January 15, 2016.
Hazarika has made special mention of Section 77 of the amended Act. Under this section, if any person, other than a qualified medical practitioner, gives tobacco products or intoxicating beverage or any other narcotic or alcoholic products, he or she will be liable for imprisonment up to seven years and fine up to Rs 1 lakh.
Hazarika has pointed in the circular that tobacco products have been included in it. Besides, those selling tobacco products to minors, those promoting use of tobacco products by minors in any manner will also be liable to face criminal proceedings.
Particular attention would be paid against such offenders within 100 yards of any educational institutions. Action would be taken against such offenders and the matter included in the Monthly Crime Review (MCR) reporting of The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA).
Hazarika said that nodal officers have already been appointed in district and subdivision headquarters. Nodal officers will also be appointed in all police stations by October 15.
Senior surgeon of Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute, Dr Ashok Das said the earlier Act and COTPA was not being effective in checking tobacco use among minors as offenders selling tobacco products to minors were fined only Rs 200.
He said 27.5 crore people in India use tobacco and a major portion of them start tobacco consumption from a young age.
According to a survey by Global Adult Health, addiction to tobacco use in India starts at 17 years of age. The Global Youth Health survey has revealed that 20 per cent of children in India use tobacco.
As many as 5,500 children and teenagers consume tobacco every day. On an average, every day 140 children start tobacco use in the State. In Assam, 39.4 per cent people have tobacco addiction.
