📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Vikramjit Kakati
Education
Assam officials inspect tobacco shops within 100 yards of Margherita schools
✍️ India Today NE
🗓 24 Oct 2026, 12:01 AM
👁 16
State officials in Assam have begun inspecting tobacco outlets located within 100 metres of schools in the town of Margherita, aiming to enforce the ban on sales near minors.
Assam state officials visited the town of Margherita to examine tobacco retailers operating inside a 100‑metre radius of local schools. The inspection drive, coordinated by the district administration, targets compliance with national and state regulations that prohibit the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products near educational institutions.
Under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003, and accompanying Assam rules, any shop found selling tobacco within the prescribed distance can face penalties, including fines or closure. Inspectors checked shop licences, displayed signage and asked vendors about their sales practices.
While the exact number of outlets inspected has not been disclosed, officials said the exercise will continue until full adherence is achieved. The move follows rising concerns over youth tobacco consumption in the region and reflects the state’s broader effort to curb access to harmful products among minors.
Authorities have urged shop owners to remove tobacco products from premises that fall within the prohibited zone and have promised regular monitoring to ensure lasting compliance.
Under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003, and accompanying Assam rules, any shop found selling tobacco within the prescribed distance can face penalties, including fines or closure. Inspectors checked shop licences, displayed signage and asked vendors about their sales practices.
While the exact number of outlets inspected has not been disclosed, officials said the exercise will continue until full adherence is achieved. The move follows rising concerns over youth tobacco consumption in the region and reflects the state’s broader effort to curb access to harmful products among minors.
Authorities have urged shop owners to remove tobacco products from premises that fall within the prohibited zone and have promised regular monitoring to ensure lasting compliance.