1,000 tobacco packets seized in Mapusa

MAPUSA
The Mapusa Municipal Council has seized 1,015 packets of tobacco products during a drive against illegal sales at the Mapusa bus stand and market area. Action was taken against 20 vendors found selling gutkha and other tobacco items. Of the seized stock, 900 were gutkha packets and 115 were other tobacco products, with the total value running into thousands of rupees.
The drive was carried out as part of the State-wide “Tobacco-Free Bus Stand” campaign conducted by GOACAN. The council team was led by municipal inspector Prajwal Dhargalkar, along with supervisor Anand Talwar, workers Prakash Pujari and Amit Shetye, and representatives of GOACAN.
The team conducted raids at 10 locations and imposed penalties on the vendors involved. Inspector Dhargalkar said the drive was held as per the chief officer’s instructions and added that such action will continue in the coming days.
Two years ago, the municipal council had conducted a similar operation in the market, during which goods worth Rs 3 to 4 lakh were seized from a vendor. That stock, kept at the Cunchelim waste plant without disposal, later went missing. No inquiry has been carried out in that matter so far.