Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru 

Bengaluru, Dec 27: A strong lobby seems to be working behind the state government’s decision to ban sale of loose cigarettes. After the ban was implemented on September 11, the Chief Minister’s CM) office has been flooded with letters asking for its withdrawal. However, majority of the letters are said to be fake.

Over 8000 letters were sent to the CM’s office, supposedly written by petty shop owners stating that the ban on the sale of loose cigarettes, beedies, chewing tobacco would affect their business and their families. These letters were sent to the Department of Health and Family Welfare for verification and action.

“On verifying, the health department officials did not find any authenticity in the letters. The content of all the letters was the same while the same person appeared to have signed them with random names, addresses and phone numbers. It looks like a strong lobby was working behind this letter campaign,” said Department of Health and Family Welfare Joint Director (Medical) Dr T S Prabhakar.

The National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) had recommended the ban on the sale of loose cigarettes as cigarette packets contain pictorial warning about the harmful effects of tobacco but loose cigarettes do not.

Dr Prabhakar also opined that the High Court of Karnataka's verdict on December 16 stating that the pictorial warning on the packaging of tobacco products to be reduced from 85 per cent to 40 per cent was a huge blow to NTCP’s programmes.