Several shops continue tosell cigarettes without any pictorial warning on cancer across the state thanksto the lethargic attitude of the Health Department.
Unlike other states, the officials heredo not conduct periodic inspections at the petty shops and duty free shopswhere these cigarettes are easily available.
According to Anti- Narcotics Wing thecigarettes are smuggled into the state from the Gulf and South East Asian countrieslike Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia.
It said that the Health Department’sdirective has prescribed strict action against the offenders.
“Majority of the cigarettes brought infrom the Gulf countries will have the warning written in small letters inArabic.
Those coming from the ASEAN countrieswill not have any warning.
But none of these will have the picturebearing the cancer warning.
In Malappuram and Kasargod thesecigarettes are available in every shop.
The stuff is also sent through parcel service,”officials said.
The officials of the Health Department agreedthat inspections are not conducted and no cigarettes have been seized.
However, they said that action would takenif they come across any such case.
“The foreign cigarettes have been popularever since a high number of people started working in the Gulf some 20 yearsago.
In those days it was part of a ‘style’ andeven now many youth use foreign brands for it.
However, compared to Indian cigarettes,their foreign counterparts are much safer,” officials said.