Illegal cigarette trade
Illegal cigarette trade has been going on in the J&K State especially in Srinagar city. The authorities have recently cracked down on this trade in Srinagar city. J&K Police has unearthed a major ring of trade in illegal and fake cigarettes in the city. Many stores were booked for violating COTPA provisions. Over the years, owing to the law and order situation in the Valley, a large quantity of cheap foreign brands are being smuggled into the state. As per industry reports, one of every three cigarettes sold in the state is an illegal cigarette and the State Government is losing an estimated Re 100 cr every year by way of tax evasion.
There is a low surveillance and lack of regulations; manufacturers are using the state as dumping ground of illicit cigarettes. The illegal cigarettes, smuggled mostly from China and other countries are being sold in the markets of Kashmir, especially in Srinagar city.
Such cigarettes in fact have higher levels of toxic chemicals tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide, lead, arsenic and toxic metal cadmium. These illegal cigarettes, owing to lack of quality control and questionable manufacturing processes, could contain up to 500% higher levels of cancer-causing chemicals and issued warnings against their being sold in the shops.
The illegal cigarette packs do not carry the mandatory 85% pictorial warning about ill effects of tobacco and therefore youths are likely to get lured by these fancy looking packets, which in turn is a recipe for disaster
These smuggled brands are gaining popularity in India, some scrupulous manufacturers are now producing counterfeit of popular foreign brands and clearing them clandestinely without paying any taxes or following any legal mandatories like 85% pictorial warnings.
