Mumbai's ubiquitous railway stalls have just sold their last cigarettes, in time for the Saturday deadline halting sales of the sticks on railway stations.

``It was the fastest moving item in our stall,'' laments Sushil Tiwari at a stall at Mumbai Central, speedily handing out the last sticks from his pigeonholes. He does business in cigarettes used to be worth over Rs 2,000 per day. So what does he propose to do now? ``Sell more chocolates perhaps,'' is the derisive reply.

The railways, though, say they are firm on implementing their gift to the nation on the occasion of World Environment Day. ``This is a policy decision by the government and a ban that is to be taken extremely seriously as it concerns public health and environment,'' says Central Railwayspokesperson Mukul Marwah. Errant stall owners will be filen or even have their licences cancelled.

The entire Central Railway system sells Rs 1.42 crore worth of cigarettes annually. Mumbai with 67 stations alone accounts for a third of its cigarette sales. ``We are taking a cut in our income through departmental sales,'' admits Marwah.

Apart from the departmental catering run by the railways, stalls are given out to contractors. The latter form a majority. Departmental caterers exclusively selling cigarettes, like the kiosk at Churchgate, have been shut and the staff redeployed in other deparments.

Western Railway spokesperson Vinod Asthana says the railways have been instructed by the board to compensate the vendors allowing them to sell other items like tea and biscuits.

At the bustling CST station, Sudhir Singh has a hard time pacifying some irritated customers. ``No we've just run out of that brand,'' he says. Strangely, his clients are in favour of the ban. ``They should ban it everywhere sothat people like us don't pollute public places,'' says businessman Zarin Driver, lighting up at the stall. Another smoker who's just bought a cigarette says it causes cancer and other diseases. ``The government has done the right thing by banning it,'' says Ramesh Lad.

But stall personnel don't think so. ``It will lead to widespread unemployment,'' cautions Mahesh Pratap Singh, who manages a stall on a platform at Mumbai Central.

Singh says that while railway stalls handed out cigarettes at the printed price, shops outside sold cigarettes at higher rates. ``We were actually doing a service to the public.''