Cracking the whip against shopkeepers selling cigarettes in the radius of 100 metres around the educational centres, the city’s Health department teams identified and removed 11 such violations during a drive to enforce compliance with the ban on smoking in public places today.

The health team identified two shacks outside SCD Government College, which were situated in a radius of 100 metres from Government Senior Secondary School at Gobind Nagar, and also four stalls outside Khalsa College for Women, and removed them.

Four individuals were also issued challans for defying the ban on smoking at the bus stand outside Ludhiana Stock Exchange at Feroze Gandhi market.

District Mass Education and Information Officer Satish Sachdeva said the offenders were fined Rs 200 each as per the anti-smoking guidelines.

“This was a routine drive to check violations of the ban on smoking in public places,” said Sachdeva.

He added the drive would serve as a warning to all the shopkeepers and stall owners selling cigarettes in the periphery of educational institutes as the Health department would carry out such drives in future also.

Food samples taken
In a day-long operation, the Health department also conducted a sampling drive at various shops in the city to ensure that quality food products were sold in the market ahead of the festival season.

The teams took samples of milk products from shops located near the bus stand, Model Town and Dugri, officiating disrtict health officer Dr US Sooch said.

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