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Maharashtra gutkha owners to move court

The gutkha owners in Maharashtra will move the Bombay high court against the state government's order banning the tobacco product in the state.

''We are seeking legal advise and will file a petition in the high court by next week,'' Rasiklal M Dhariwal, chairman of the Manikchand group and vice-president of Zafrani Zarda and Pan Masala Association of India told a news conference in Mumbai.

The state government ban on production, sale, stocking and distribution of gutkha comes into force from August 1.

Dhariwal said that the situation of gutkha industry is grim with Maharashtra joining states like Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in banning the product.

''If the ban is extended to other states it will not only render millions of people jobless but also result in a law and order situation,'' he said.

''Adding to the plight of supari (beetle nut) growers, tobacco farmers and those involved in manufactures of perfumes (used in gutkha) in other states, the ban will be a severe blow to the family of these farmers and their dependents,'' he pointed out.

Dhariwal alleged that the ''role of multinationals'' has influenced the government's decision. He said that the cigarette companies had suffered a blow since the early eighties when the gutkha sachets came into the market.

Currently the chewing tobacco and the gutkha industry generates self-employment to approximately 20 million people which includes farmers, transporters, sellers and people in other related industries.

In addition, he said, the industry plays an important role in the economies of both the Union and state governments by contributing approximately Rs 25 billion to the exchequer through excise and other local taxes, Dhariwal said.

''The ban will result in mass scale unemployment for millions of people but will also be the sole cause of poverty and hunger,'' he said.

With this ban, he said, people consuming less harmful chewing tobacco products and gutkha are likely to switch over to more harmful products like cigarettes,'' he said.

Dhariwal said that it has been widely acknowledged by the experts that smoking tobacco is far more injurious to health than chewing tobacco.

Citing a report published by the Centre of Disease Control, US, 4,19,000 smokers die each year as compared to 6,000 smokeless tobacco users.

''If health is the case the government should ban all tobacco-related products and even alcohol,'' he said adding, the authorities should also ban tobacco cultivation.

''Our plea to the government is that it should take care of people who are likely to be affected by this ban by putting a system in place offering the workers a rehabilitation package,'' he added.

He pointed out that the government has cited that gutkha contains magnesium carbonate, besides tobacco and spices and the chemical is said to be harmful.

''The Federal Code of Medicines as well as British Pharmacopia classify the same magnesium carbonate as a food additive -- which is present in many products including some toothpastes,'' he said.

UNI

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