Srinagar, May 9:Just as the public outrage and administrative action against drugs intensifies, provisional stores, departmental stores and road side vendors in Kashmir openly flout the rules and laws meant to decrease the incidence of smoking.

The practice of selling loose cigarettes and cigarettes to minors here remains rampant, quietly easing children and teenagers into nicotine addiction.

Many shops in Kashmir now display a rate list of single cigarettes, sold without pockets, known as loosies, or per stick.

The bustling markets and neighborhood kirana shops across Kashmir have resorted to this practice to help the consumers tide over the hurdles created by law.

The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, and a specific 2016 notification by J&K government ban the sale of loose cigarettes, beedis, and loose tobacco.

The laws also bar sale of cigarettes to minors.

A senior official in the Drug and Food Control Organisation said it is this practice of selling loose cigarettes that helps minors buy it. “This ways it is affordable, and they don’t have to worry about storage and hiding while at home,” he said.

He said a single cigarette is what the minors start with, and it is their first step towards addiction.

Doctors also believe that the easy availability of single cigarettes is fueling tobacco consumption in Kashmir.

Kashmir is already grappling with smoking prevalence.

Rates among the highest in India.

The smoking prevalence is around 20.8 percent in J&K, nearly double the national average.

This has earned J&K the tag of the “smoking capital” of North India in various reports over the years.

In February this year, GoI increased the prices of cigarettes by imposing higher taxes and excise duties on tobacco products to discourage smoking and increase public health revenues.

However, this has not translated into decrease in consumption as loosies are available.

Under COTPA, tobacco products must be sold in original, intact packaging.

The packaging must bear prominent graphic health warnings, which loose cigarettes bypass entirely.

Selling to minors under 18 is also prohibited. In addition, sale of cigarettes within 100 yards of educational institutions is also banned.

Despite periodic enforcement drives, raids, and fines compliance remains poor.

Shopkeepers often cite customer demand and thin profit margins on full packs as reasons for the practice.

Doctors have expressed alarm over access for young people.

A single cigarette is often priced between Rs 8-25 depending on the brand, makes the habit affordable for students and teenagers who cannot afford full packs.

Loose sale cigarettes are rampant near schools, stakeholders said.

“Kashmir already has high stress levels due to various factors; easy tobacco access worsens public health outcomes like respiratory diseases and cardiovascular problems,” doctors said.

Srinagar, May 09: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti said on Saturday that strict action should be taken against drug peddlers, but innocent families should not suffer by having their houses demolished.

While addressing a party convention in central Kashmir’s Budgam district, the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir said, “If anyone is involved in drug trafficking, they should be jailed, but you should also ask those police personnel who release them after taking money from them. Why are their houses being bulldozed? What is the fault of the family members? Why are you demolishing their houses? There is no justice.”

She also criticised chief minister Omar Abdullah over the coercive action, saying, “Omar, if the people had liked bulldozer baba, why would they have voted for you? People voted for you and gave you 50 MLAs thinking you will safeguard them.”

Referring to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s padyatra as part of the Nasha Mukt J-K Abhiyaan in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district earlier in the day, the PDP president alleged that government employees, school teachers and students were directed to arrive for the event at 6:30 am.

“I will not name the person who messaged me at midnight last night. That person said the LG is organising Nasha Mukt Abhjiyaan event in Anantnag, but all employees and schools, including women and girls, have been directed to arrive at 6:30 am. I want to tell the LG that the campaign is a good initiative, but… making them wait, I think, is an excess,” she said.

The PDP chief accused the government of “rampant corruption”, saying deserving youths are denied opportunities while political favoritism dominates recruitment.

Srinagar, May 09: PDP chief-spokesperson and former Parliamentarian, Dr. Mehboob Beg came down heavily on Dr. Farooq Abdullah and the ruling National Conference for having betrayed and eroded the trust of the people by indulging in electoral malpractices in the 1987 election.

While addressing an impressive gathering at PDP’s Budgam rally, Dr. Beg blamed the 1987 election manipulation, one that he attributed to the National Conference as being the reason for discontent and cynicism amongst the common Kashmiri, besides having turned Mohd. Yusuf Shah into Syed Salahuddin. He said the manipulation deprived people of their democratic rights and caused permanent damage in how people in Kashmir perceive local elections. He further remarked that a fair investigation on who did what at that point of time might still help catch the real culprits.

Dr. Beg also blamed Omar Abdullah for not missing on a single opportunity to appease those sitting in New Delhi while constantly suffocating even his own party MLAs who even make an attempt to bring forth any public grievance. “It is insulting for every Kashmiri to see the Chief Minister who was elected to give a democratic voice to their sufferings and grievances bend backwards and make desperate attempts to please those at the helm,” said Dr. Beg.

Srinagar, May 09: The Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, today joined Padyatra at Anantnag as part of “Drug-Free J&K Campaign”. Addressing a public gathering, the Lieutenant Governor appealed to the people to break the silence to win this war against drugs and all sections of society must speak in one voice about the dangers of drug addiction.

“The challenge of drug addiction can be eradicated only through a Whole of Society Approach. From now on, every corner of Union Territory, whether schools, colleges, families, sports grounds, wards, villages, or theater stages, should give a voice to the cause with firm resolve,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

The Lieutenant Governor said that in this war against drugs, administration and society must understand the link between drugs and terrorism and everyone should join hands to defeat it.

“Our neighboring country is smuggling drugs into Jammu Kashmir by design. The drug money has been used to build narco-palaces by drug smugglers and a large portion of drug money is being used for terrorism and radicalization. While drugs are ruining the future of Jammu Kashmir’s youth on one hand, on the other, terror outfits are using that money to buy weapons and that are shedding the blood of our brothers and sisters in the UT.

This narco-terror network has inflicted suffering on generations of Jammu Kashmir for decades. That is why I always say: drug addiction and terrorism are not separate challenges but they are two faces of the same problem. And I promise all of you that we will not rest until we defeat it,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

The Lieutenant Governor called upon police and civil administration to cover every panchayat of Anantnag, and especially reach out to vulnerable areas of the district in next 71 days of campaign.

“A decisive blow is being dealt to the drug smugglers’ network in Anantnag district. Since 11th April, the highest number of 108 NDPS cases have been registered in Anantnag. Narco-palaces worth Rs. 3.5 crore, built with the black money from drugs, have been reduced to dust. 22 vehicles have been seized, 8 driving licenses and vehicle registrations have been cancelled. 13 drug stores have been sealed for violating the law.

I assure the people of Anantnag that not a single smuggler will be left untouched, and the entire machinery involved in the drug smuggling will be uprooted from its roots,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

The Lieutenant Governor stated that the women and youth are the greatest strength of this war on drugs. He said if a family member or a neighbor’s youth is going astray, women and youth club members should bring them back onto the path of correction, and seek the administration’s help if needed.

“I appeal to sportspersons, teachers, and all religious leaders to dedicate the next 71 days with wholehearted commitment to the awareness and rehabilitation campaign, and to pledge to make Jammu Kashmir drug-free.

Religious leaders are regarded as the people’s leaders and guides. I want them to provide spiritual and moral guidance to the youth and to warn them about the dangers of drugs. I want to reiterate that this battle is not just the administration’s. It is a collective battle of society. Let’s make a collective promise that we will not allow drug peddlers to thrive in our villages and neighborhoods. We will rehabilitate the youth who are victims of drugs. I firmly believe that when the people stand up for a purpose, their power increases a thousandfold,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

The Lieutenant Governor also reiterated his commitment to ensure justice to every terror victim family.

On the occasion, the Lieutenant Governor laid foundation stone for various sports infrastructure development projects worth Rs 20.60 crore in the District. These include Khel Gaon Modern Sports Infrastructure and residential facility  (Khel Bhawan) Stage-I at Jablipora; Expansion of Sports Facilities at Chaki- Kamal Monghal; Reconstruction of Sports complex at Nillandrusu and development of stadium at Harmohalla Ranbirpora.

The Lieutenant Governor said that these sports facilities will channel the energy of the youth in the right direction and strengthen the spirit of discipline and sportsmanship.

He also felicitated the youth icons and distributed sports kits to the youth.

Artists through traditional Nukad Natak, Baand Pather and a Mime play centered on the Nasha Mukt Jammu Kashmir Abhiyaan raised awareness about the dangers of drug abuse, encouraging young people to stay healthy and contribute to a drug-free society.