JTI publicity to attract buyers violation of laws

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Our Correspondent :
Anti-tobacco organizations of the country is working for saving the children, juveniles and young generations from aggression of tobaccos beside the govt activities. The non-govt organizations working for awareness against bad effects of tobacco through advocacy meeting and cultural programs at field levels. There are specific directives in the Tobacco Act of 2005 . Defying the these Act and after post corona period, these foreign tobacco companies have accelerated their publicity campaign of tobacco products.
Such a publicity scenario was ex perienced in the port city recently. Every places in the city are flooded with the publicity and leaflets of tobacco products for attracting consumers which is violation of tobacco act.
This weas apprised to medias through a statement of Bangladesh Institute of Theatre Arts(BITA). The statement was told that sales representatives of Japan Tobacco are moving in every cornor of the city with vans and wearing publicity based same colour dress. JTI came into existence in the country last year. Under section 5 of Tobacco Control Act of 2005, any sorts of commercial publicity for smoking and tobacco products either directly or indirectly is punishable offense and prohibited. Any one violates this rules, will be liable for 3 months imprisonment or penalty of maximum Tk.one lack or both punishment. After sensing this scenario of marketing by JTI, anti-tobacco organizations protested to concerned authorities. As a result, Chattogram City Corporation conducted mobile court led by Executive Magistrate Afia Akhter against the wide publicity of JTI and erased the Brand colour from these sale vans. But defying the laws and undermining the CCC decisions, JTI again started their sale publicity to attract consumers. Coordinator of Tobacco Project of BITA Mr. Pradip Achariya told that publicity measures of tobacco companies flooded in the market to attract buyers recently and we should resist these efforts of the tobacco companies otherwise young generations will be confined by the wide publicity of these tobacco companes.
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