KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Wednesday passed a bill seeking a complete ban on manufacturing, promotion and sale of Gutka and Mainpuri across the province, ARY News reported.
The bill states that six years imprisonment and up to Rs200,000 fine will be liable to any person who is found involved in the manufacturing, storage, and consumption of Gutka, Mainpuri across the Sindh.
According to a bill, there will be a complete ban on selling Gutka at educational institutions, hospitals, public transport locations, government and non-government institutions.
Furthermore, the government will take strict action against people found involved in all these above-mentioned activities.
Gutka is a form of chewing tobacco made of crushed areca nut, tobacco, catechu, paraffin wax, slaked lime and sweet or savory flavourings. According to a report, the gutka, mainpuri and other relating derivatives are dangerous and a major cause behind cancer and cardiac illness.
It was revealed in a report that as many as 69 big factories producing ‘Gutka’ (a kind of tobacco) are working in Karachi.
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the factories are situated in all six districts of Karachi. A large number of the factories were reported to be situated in the metropolis’s west district, where 32 factories are producing ‘Gutka’. 10 in the central district, 9 in Malir, four in district south and seven each are present in district Korangi and East.
The report had also highlighted the names of the persons, who are operating the ‘Gutka’ factories and exactly where they are situated and jurisdictions of the concerned police station.
