Mangalore : Karnataka State Police organized a workshop on Cigarette and other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) at Police Guest House on March 14, Thursday.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Vishal Rao, director of the Cancer Prevention Project-Institute of Public Health, said that according to Karnataka State Cigarette and other Tobacco products Act 2003 (COTPA) in which Section 4 prohibits smoking in public places which includes all places having access to public except roads; Section 5 which prohibits display of advertisements at the point of sale of tobacco in shops; Section 6 which prohibits sale tobacco to minors and near schools and colleges and Section 7 for the packaging.

He said that people must be aware of the message written on the cigarette pack and avoid its consumptions since it leads to cancer and other diseases.

Dr Rao said that state cannot ban the manufacturing of tobacco to stop the problem, but the problem arises to farmers since the farmers in state grow tobacco in 28 acre land. Hence the government is slowly trying to change the minds of farmers to cultivate other products in their agricultural land.

Additional DGP Crime, A M Prasad said that recently police have incorporated COTPA violations in the monthly crime review following the instructions from the Union Government.

He said that as per the survey, in the year 2012-2013, Karnataka has registered a total of 252 cases of violation of the Act and collected a fine of Rs 31,700.

Gulbarga is at the first position in collecting the fine amount of Rs 23,000. The police officials do not have fixed target to register the cases and collect the fine amount, but must work to control the people from consuming it.

He also said that in some of the districts in Western Range has done good work to control tobacco consumption. He further urged the officials who participated in the workshop to attend the schools and colleges as resource person and give information in the ill effects of tobacco.

Dr Riyaz, IGP Western Range Prathap Reddy, City Police Commissioner Manish Karbhirkar, SP Abhishek Goyal and others were present.