VASCO
The Mormugao Taluka Enforcement Squad conducted inspections near Vasco Railway Station to check for violations of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003 (COTPA) on Monday . The Enforcement Squad booked cases for violation of Section 4 and recovered fines of Rs1,000 mainly from fast food kiosks near the railway station.The squad which was led by Maria D'Costa e Fernandes, Mormugao Taluka Jt. Mamlatdar-III and GOACAN Co-ordinator Roland Martins included Circle Inspector Vithu Kharat, Vasco Talathi Hanumant Mandrekar, UHC Sanitary Inspector Dayanand Thakkar, and LPSI Santos ER Fernandes from Vasco Police Station.
Earlier the Taluka Enforcement Squad met Vasco Railway Station Incharge Kundan Singh and discussed the need for more "No Smoking" signage as prescribed under Section 4 of COTPA, at the entry & exit points of the station, on the three platforms and for the dormitory. The Squad emphasised that a compliance report from the SWR officials needs to be submitted within a month as the same has to be forwarded to the office of the South Goa District Collector.
When the squad visited the SWR Vasco Reservation Office, the Vasco Railway Police Station and the office of the Post Commander Railway Protection Force (RPF) it was found that the prescribed No Smoking signage was not on display.
Meanwhile a proposal for declaring 200 metres around Vasco Railway Station as a "Tobacco Free Zone" by installing special signage as prescribed by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Government of India will be proposed at the next quarterly review meeting to be chaired by Ruchika Katyal IAS, South Goa District Collector.
