- A Love Story of the Streets with Gutka and Pan Masala Wrappers - March 24, 2023
- NCR Draft Plan 2041: Why are citizens worried and How to Help? - March 18, 2023
- Know How to Calculate your Carbon Footprint in 9 Easy Steps - March 15, 2023
Strolling through the streets in Varanasi, it would not come as a surprise if you come across some fancy wrappers of gutka or pan masala. The deep red spot on the streets, is a mark of pure love indeed, isn’t it? The scent of it alone is enough to excite a person throughout the day. Went too far? Apologies for the good humor. Well, I might be sounding a bit weird, but reality check- the pan masala and gutka market is estimated at 40,000 crores with millions of consumers pan India.
“Par bhaaya tambacoo ke sevan se to cancer hota hai na, fir bhi itne saare log gutka aur pan masala kyo khaate hai?”
“Are behen, pan masala aur gutka hi to Pehchaan hai, Kamyaabi ki. Ek gram kesar 300 rupay ki, aur Zubaan Kesari 5 rupay me. Aur behen banaras me hoke aisa sawaal puchengi aap, aise kaise chalega?”
“Sahi kaha bhaaya, to aapke hisaab se kya karna chaiye logo ko?”
Well, a lot can be done in this regard, starting with providing alternatives to pan masalas and gutka. Have you ever questioned why people consume chewable tobacco aside from its ‘good taste’? One of the main reasons they consume tobacco is because it relieves stress and anxiety. It gives them the initial feeling of calmness. The reality is, instead of giving them mental relief, it becomes the inviter of oral diseases such as cancer. Smokeless Tobacco consumption not only harms the health of an individual but also amounts to even more stress in the longer term.
Added to this misery given by its consumption, the wrappers of gutka and pan masala are clogging the drains and donning the streets of every city. The wrappers are lined with a layer of plastic which is often non-recyclable due to the wrappers’ small size. Some manufacturers are using multilayer packaging. According to experts, the multilayer packaging causes more environmental harm than regular plastic packaging.
A study by the urban planners from IIT Kharagpur revealed that more than one-fifth of the silt that clogs Delhi’s drains is constituted of empty gutka and pan masala wrappers. A survey conducted by them revealed that more than 22% of the silt in drains is caused by gutka and pan masala wrappers. These wrappers are one of the reasons why the streets of the capital region are flooded during monsoons.
If you ask a volunteer participating regularly in cleanups, their experience and frustration that follows would not be a surprise. Say, for instance, you ask me, “How many gutka and pan masala wrappers do you usually encounter in a cleanup activity?” I would say, “Itna jyaada ki pan masala aur gutka ki 15 se jyaada brands ka naam yaad ho jaata hai 15 minute me!”. Almost 60% of items we pick up during a cleanup activity are pan masala and gutka wrappers. They are everywhere on the streets. In the gutter, along the sidewalks, outside shops, on the roads, in the parks, literally on every corner of the streets!
This situation raises an alarm and the need to find a solution to this problem. Efforts to exclude plastic in packaging are being made since 2007, but they have hardly given the desired results. The SC, in 2010, rolled out a notice for pan masala and gutka manufacturers to pay a ‘pollution fine’ to the state government in proportion to their annual turnover. The directive given by the SC was not followed by the concerned companies. Again in 2016, the SC asked the MoEF&CC to take stringent measures in implementing the non-usage of plastic in pan masala and gutka packaging. The ministry released the Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules in the same year (2016), ordering the manufacturers to adhere to the new rules. The scenario that followed remains a mystery. I still find gutka and pan masala packets made of multilayered or plastic packaging in the market. Even on the streets- how can I forget to mention this 🙂
“To bhaaya yeh bataiye, iska kya solution hai? Yeh gutka aur pan masala khaane waalo ka kya kiya jaaye :(“
“Dekhiye, baat aisi hai ki masala khaane waale to khaayenge hi. Par haan, unko ham iss baat ke liye jaruur jagruk kar sakte ki tambacoo khaakar road pe na thuke. Aur saath hi masala ka wrapper ko dustbin me hi pheke. Desh ke nagrik hone ke naate unka itna to farz banta hai ki vo apne aas paas gandagi na machaye. Yadi vo aisa na kare, to hame sarkaar se aise logo ko pehle to dande padwaane chaiye. Uske baad unpe fine thokna chaiye. India me log paise ke piche hi bhaagte hai, aur paise se hi darte bhi hai.”
“Lekin bhaaya, yeh to bas baate hai. India me kaun hi sunta hai kisi ki. Sab to apni marzi ke maalik hai”
“Beta, tokega India tabhi badhega India. Iss kaam ko laagu karne me samay lagega. Lekin koshish karenge to bilkul kaamyaabi milegi. Aaj nahi to kuch saalo baad jaruur. Koshish karte rehna hai”
“Sahi kaaha bhaaya, aaj se karenge to kal jaruur kaamyaab honge!”
To chaliye, aap sab bhi aaj se abhi se Tobacco khaane waalo ko tokiye aur awareness failaiye. Change starts with you taking action and doing your part. Let others follow and get inspired by your actions.
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