Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (PS)
Mangalore, Jul 25: Konkodi Padmanabha, president of Campco Ltd, lamented the proposed ban on gutka, pan masala which will bring crores of areca nut growers in 12 districts of Karnataka and 5 districts of Kerala onto the streets.
Addressing a press meet here on Tuesday July 24, Padmanabha said that the state government is in consideration of high court order to ban gutka, pan masala, and other tobacco products and has also received a notice from the high court. However immediate ban on areca nut products will bring areca nut growers into loss.
The ban may also result in illegal trade in of areca nut products which is through inferior qualitative areca nut imports. He also questioned that when tobacco products like cigarettes are not banned, for what reason they are targeted on areca nut products.
He stated that in reality all the pan masala products have main ingredients of areca nut and not tobacco or nicotine. Same fact is printed in the sachet in caution column. The Supreme Court too has clearly mentioned the difference between pan masala and gutka. He urged that instead of imposing ban on gutka, the government should take measure to make mandatory cautioning of consuming tobacco in the sachet of gutka. Also a compensation package should be announced by the government in case it goes ahead with the ban of gutka. He added that a writ petition is yet to be filed in the the Karnataka high court urging to cancel the ban on gutka and in Kerala a writ petition has already been filed and an interim verdict is anticipated.
He said that a commission has already met CM Jagadeesh Shettar, food minister D N Jeevaraj, among others to explain them the bad impact on those who are depending on this crop.
Campco MD Suresh Bhandary, vice president of Campco Sathishchandra Bhandary, were present during the press meet.