Anti-narcotics EAGLE teams raid paan, kirana shops near colleges, seize tobacco, gutkha products

In a joint operation, officers of the Elite Anti-Narcotics Group for Law Enforcement (EAGLE) and the NTR Commissionerate Police raided paan, kirana and cool drink shops located near schools and colleges on Saturday, and seized cigarettes and tobacco products.

The teams headed by EAGLE chief and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ake Ravi Krishna and NTR Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) K.G.V. Saritha, K.V.S.R. Siddhartha College of Pharmaceutical Sciences Principal A. Suneetha and College Anti-Ragging Committee coordinator G. Ramana Reddy checked the shops and confiscated the cigarette, gutkha and tobacco products of various brands.

“Under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COPTA) 2003, gutkha or any other tobacco products and cigarettes should not be sold within 100 metres from educational institutions,” Mr. Ravi Krishna said.

The DCP expressed ire on the police for not implementing COPTA, as many cigarettes and gutkha packets were seen in the pan shops near Siddhartha Pharmacy College, Siddhartha Institute of Hotel Management and Sri Chaitanya School on Pinnamaneni Polyclinic Road.

“Some paan shop owners were maintaining secret rooms behind the shops and were providing shelter for students for smoking and other illegal activities. Though tobacco, gutkha and other banned products were being sold openly at many places and are spoiling students, there was no action,” said a local person Naveen.

“Police, Excise and EAGLE officers should conduct surprise raids to check sale of cigarettes, ganja, narcotics and tobacco products at schools and colleges and save the lives of children,” said 60-year-old Narayana Swamy, who came to a shop during the raids.

“More than 6,000 shops have been raided under ‘Operation Safe Campus Zone’, and tobacco products and cigarettes, worth lakhs of rupees were seized,” the EAGLE chief said.

Mr. Ravi Krishna said that cases have been registered against the shop owners. Teachers should know about COPTA and assume responsibility for implementation of Act to check anti-social activities near schools and colleges, he said.

Later, the police conducted a drug awareness campaign for the students and staff at K.V.S.R. Siddhartha College of Pharmaceutical Sciences..