According to the National Tobacco Control Organisations, advertising for pan masala found on Kadamba Transport Corporation Ltd (KTCL) buses has violated the 2003 Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COPTA) and the 1997 Goa Prohibition of Smoking and Spitting Act.
Dr. Shekhar Salkar, the president of NOTE, has stated that the current advertisements on KTCL buses are a deliberate form of marketing strategy designed to showcase paan masala and mouth freshener products and indirectly promote smokeless tobacco.
The President emphasized that the KTCL vide NIT KTC/GM/22/315 invitation dated August 12, 2021, to hire advertising agents, contained provisions stating that any company found to be in violation of the regulations would be barred from having their advertisements displayed by the central government or acting against good morals or current legal regulations.
Salkar said that the paan masala/mouth freshener advertisement currently displayed on your bus not only violates the COTPA act but also goes against the bidding specifications set by your office. Additionally, he criticized the ad for being in poor taste and unethical.
Taking into account that children and young people under the age of 15 are the largest users of KTCL services in the state, the aforementioned indirect promotions of tobacco products that pose a risk of oral cancer and other diseases can also be considered a violation of child rights in Goa, according to a law passed in 2003.
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