In a significant move to crack down on the illegal trade of banned tobacco products, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Maharashtra is enforcing strict measures under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999 (MCOCA) against those involved in the production, storage, transportation, distribution, and sale of gutka. This action follows Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s previous indication during the Winter Session of the Legislative Assembly in Nagpur.
Minister for Food and Drug Administration Narhari Zirwal confirmed the implementation, stating that the FDA is taking decisive steps to combat organized networks engaged in manufacturing, storing, transporting, distributing, and selling gutka. FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has instructed regional officers to utilize MCOCA in cases involving organized networks dealing with gutka, tobacco, nicotine-infused pan masala, and similar banned tobacco-mixed products.
The crackdown targets cases demonstrating a coordinated supply chain involving manufacturers, suppliers, financiers, warehousing operators, transporters, wholesalers, and sub-dealers. These syndicates often employ illegal tactics like forged documents, fake invoices, dummy companies, benami transactions, hidden warehouses, interstate supply chains, and diversionary transport routes.
The offenses related to illegal trade will now be treated as violations of anti-organized crime laws rather than mere food safety breaches. The official order highlights that these activities contravene the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, making the manufacturing, storage, distribution, or sale of unsafe food a serious criminal offense. Despite a statewide ban on gutka, these banned substances persist in various areas, especially near educational institutions.
Minister Zirwal emphasized the government’s commitment to enforcing the law rigorously to safeguard public health in Maharashtra and dismantle the organized illegal trade of banned food items permanently.
