OUR CORRESPONDENT
DIGBOI: Serious questions regarding what appears to be a flourishing tobacco trade are being raised in Digboi, with allegations of clandestine storage points, late-night consignments, and a sprawling wholesale-retail network reportedly feeding markets across the eastern Assam belt, even as school authorities voice concern over students allegedly carrying and consuming such products.
Ghutkha and other tobacco products are reportedly available with little difficulty at pan shops, grocery outlets, and other retail counters. Sources allege that the supply chain is supported by suspected godowns operating from Borbil, Itavata, Powai, Muliabari, and other interior and isolated pockets of Digboi.
According to sources, consignments allegedly reach Digboi in Bolero pickup vans during late-night hours and are unloaded in the early morning, before being channelled through wholesale distributors to retailers. In some instances, rooms in private residential premises are reportedly being hired on rent and converted into temporary storage points for the consignments.
The alleged distribution network is said to extend well beyond Digboi, with supplies reportedly reaching Lakhipathar, Balijan-Borjan, Powai, Pengaree, Bordumsa, Nazirating, Tingrai, and Charali Bazar.
Sources further claim that nearly eight wholesale dealers are operating within the alleged network. Questions have also been raised over alleged transactions without proper GST bills, bringing the taxation and financial side of the trade into focus.
The most disturbing dimension, however, is being reported from educational institutions.
The headmaster of a government school and a senior administrator of a reputed private school have expressed serious concern over students allegedly carrying and chewing tobacco products inside school premises. They said that the habit has also resulted in tobacco residue being spat on walls, toilets, and bathrooms, leaving school authorities to contend with both an unhealthy environment and the worrying exposure of young students to tobacco use.
The state has an established tobacco-control framework, yet the reported visibility and accessibility of tobacco products raise questions about the effectiveness of implementation on the ground.
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