Strict action against smokers at bus stands

The Punjab government has issued directions to all the district transport officers (DTOs) to strictly enforce the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) at bus stands and in buses, as the legislation is primarily concerned with a ban on consumption of such substances at public places.

The Punjab government has issued directions to all the district transport officers (DTOs) to strictly enforce the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) at bus stands and in buses, as the legislation is primarily concerned with a ban on consumption of such substances at public places.

Issuing these directions here, transport minister Ajit Singh Kohar said that under the Food Safety Standards Act, the Punjab government has totally banned the use of gutka and other eatables with nicotine or tobacco as ingredients. Similarly, he said, e-cigarettes were banned.