Apex Court's ban on tobacco sale affecting areca growers badly'

February 24, 2011

Mangalore, February 24: The Supreme Court's ban order on sale of tobacco products in plastic sachets March 1 onwards, has severely hit the areca growers in the region said Konkodi Padmanabha Bhat, President of the Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Co-operative (CAMPCO)

He was addressing the media persons at Campco office here on Thursday.

The Supreme Court's decision came on December 7, 2010 after taking note of government's submission that 90 per cent of oral cancer cases in the country are due to chewing of tobacco.

Konkodi said the ban has adverse impact on lakhs of people, who are dependent on areca nut crops. It has completely affected the trade of arecanut in the regions like Davanagere and Shimoga. At the same time, the price of white and red arecanut has come down to Rs 20 per kg, he said.

He urged the central government to intervene and convince the Supreme Court regarding the problems faced by the areca growers.

He said the delegation led by the heads of cooperative societies including Campco and Mampco will meet Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily in this regard at the earliest.

Bhat demanded support price of Rs 114 and Rs 148 for white and red arecanut based on the report prepared by Arecanut Research and Development Foundation (ARDF). Central government should sanction Rs 500 crores for each state to meet this demand, he said.

He also demanded one year injunction on the ban, so that the gutka industries can look for an alternate system.

Bhat also urged the central government to appoint an expert lawyer on behalf of areca growers to convince the court about adverse impact caused due to ban.

AS Bhat, Executive Director of Campco, Narasimha Nayak, Vice President of All India Arecanut Growers Association, Srinivas Nayak and others were present.

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Probe will reveal if ‘outsiders’ belonging to banned-PFI involved in Mandya violence: Home Minister

News Network

September 17,2024

Kalaburagi: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said that alleged role of "outsiders" belonging to the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in the violence at Nagamangala will be examined and action taken based on the probe report.

Clashes broke out between two groups during a Ganesh idol procession in the town in Mandya district following which mobs went on a rampage targeting several shops and vehicles leading to tension on September 11 night.

"Everything will be examined, investigation will be done, on getting the report we will decide. We will not protect anyone, and unnecessarily no one will be punished. We will look into the facts based on the inquiry report and take action accordingly," Parameshwara told reporters here.

He noted that two officials -- Deputy Superintendent of Police and Inspector -- have already been suspended, and added that further action will be taken based on the report.

The Minister said the government has taken the Nagamangala violence seriously and there is no question of taking such incidents lightly. "BJP makes such allegations, but we too have responsibility, we don't take anything lightly."

On allegations that "outsiders" were involved in the violence, Parameshwara said if inquiry reveals complicity of such elements, it would be examined and action taken accordingly.

Regarding claims that those belonging to the banned PFI were involved, he said: "It will be known from the probe."

On demand for a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into Nagamangala violence by BJP which alleged "failure" of state's home department, Parameshwara said: "they keep saying such things, we will not listen to all that."

According to police, an argument had broken out between two groups, when the procession by devotees from Badri Koppalu village reached a place of worship on September 11, and some miscreants hurled stones, which escalated the situation.

Following the clashes between the two groups, a few shops were vandalised and goods torched and vehicles set on fire, they added.

To allegations from some BJP leaders that the party MLA Munirathna was arrested "hurriedly", Parameshwara said, police acted after the complaint was given, "what's wrong in that?"

Munirathna, who represents Rajarajeshwari Nagar Assembly segment here, was picked up from Nangli village in Kolar’s Mulbagal on Saturday evening on charges of harassing a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) contractor for bribe, casteist slurs on a former corporator, and also cheating, criminal intimidation and insulting a woman’s modesty.

Asked about "illegal items" seized from the prison here recently by officials, he said an investigation has begun on this.

When a photo of actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, who was lodged in Parappana Agrahara Prison here, hanging out with other inmates surfaced recently, action was taken based on the probe report and eleven officials were suspended.

"I will look into recent seizures made too and action will be taken; also probe is on at other prisons in the state and action will follow if anything wrong is found," the Minister added.

Police raided the high-security wing of Parappana Agrahara Central Prison here on Saturday and seized smartphones and other illegal goods.

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