Pan masala comes under scanner of women’s right activists, authorities for misuse of title
the goan I network
MARGAO
After ‘Goa Gutka’ which had brought bad name for the state on the tobacco front, a pan masala sold under the name, ‘Aunty No 1’ has stirred a hornet’s nest and ruffled many a feather, with the sweet supari bringing the women in bad light.
With elderly women in Goa respected with the title “Aunty”, the name of the sweet supari ‘Aunty No 1 – Har dil ki chahat’ has certainly come under the scanner of women’s right activists and the authorities.
The pan masala under the name ‘Aunty No 1’ was stumbled upon by the authorities and activists during a raid conducted at the Rawanfond area of Margao under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) (COTPA) Act.
During inspection of the tobacco products at one of the stalls, the raiding team found sachets of ‘Aunty No 1’ pan masala displayed for sale with activist Lorna Fernandes of Goa Women’s Forum lodging a strong protest over the misuse of the title.
“It is indeed a bad precedence that pan masala sachets are named after women. Most Goan women are called ‘aunties’ with respect. Naming the pan masala after the women is totally unacceptable,” Lorna said.
She informed that the Goa Women’s Forum will take up the issue with the South Goa district Collector and the department of Women and Child Development, besides the Goa police to act in the matter.
“We cannot just allow the name of women to be misused and painted in bad light. This has to stop immediately,” she demanded.
Meanwhile, the Salcete taluka enforcement squad constituted to check violations of COTPA carried out an intensive drive under the COTPA Act.
The squad was led by Salcete Jt Mamlatdar Raguraj Faldessai and comprised of activists Lorna Fernandes and Sylvester Niasso, Health department sanitary inspector E Silva, Awal Karkoon R Dhuri and Margao municipal constables Sainath Naik and Wassim Shaikh. The squad undertook inspections of wine stores, supermarkets, restaurants and kiosks and issued challans amounting to Rs 1900 for violating Section 4 and section 6(a) of the COTPA Act.
Faldessai said the drive under COTPA Act will continue in Salcete as the latest guidelines under the rules has mandated that establishment owners comply with directives, including displaying boards in their premises.
