The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Bhutan Narcotics Control Agency (BNCA) has been conducting surprise tobacco inspection checks in other dzongkhags after it started the checks in Thimphu. The aim of the inspection is to make people aware of the Tobacco Control Act.
BNCA along with its stakeholders conducted surprise tobacco inspections from December 25- 30 in Samdrupjongkhar and has collected a total amount of Nu 26,500 in fines.
On 25 December, the team fined three individuals for smoking in non-smoking zone and one person-in-charges, amounting to a fine collection of Nu.11, 500.
During the inspection on December26, the team seized 90 packets of Baba tobacco, 560 sticks of cigarettes, 210 beri and 96 packets of local surti. All the items were seized from Daranga gate in Samdrupjongkhar.
On the same day, they caught an Indian man in relation to drug possession as he was carrying eight capsules of SP and three tablets of N10. The man was handed over to Samdrupjongkhar police.
Deputy Chief Program Officer, BNCA, Tshering Dorji, said the team conducted a sensitization program aimed at the business community and civil service sector heads on December 28-29.
The team also conducted highway checking on December 30, and during the checking at Charkilo from 10 am to 12 am, 23 people were fined and five were fined during highway checking conducted from 12:30 pm to 2 pm in Dewathang junction.
The team has seized 84 packets of Baba tobacco, 54 cigarettes, 40 packets of Beri, one tin of 800ml Dendrite and four tubes of dendrites during the highway checking.
“They were not allowed to import such items without an authorized license, so we seized the items and have warned them not to repeat in future,” Tshering Dorji.
He also said that the team found no proper notice board signs in the No Smoking zones. The team will continue with the surprise inspections throughout the country.
