Relief to pan masala vendors

The state government on Tuesday submitted before the Kerala High Court that the distributors and retailers had been allowed time till August 17 for removing the banned pan masala products from the state.

According to the statement, district-level squads with police, Revenue, and Food Safety officers as well as surveillance committees comprising Food Safety, Education and Health Department officers had been formed to implement the order banning the manufacture, storage, sale and marketing of tobacco containing pan masala and gutka in the state. The government would soon issue orders forming the committee.

The court had earlier declined to stay the ban order.