Chandigarh, October 21, 2026: In a concerted effort to strengthen the enforcement of tobacco control laws and curb the sale of illegal tobacco products, the Chandigarh Administration conducted joint raids at various locations across the city. The enforcement drive was carried out on the directions of the Chief Secretary, U.T. Chandigarh, under the guidance of the Health Secretary and Additional Health Secretary.

The joint team, led by officers of the Department of Health and Family Welfare, comprised officials from the Health Department, Police Department, Excise and Taxation Department, Legal Metrology Department, and Food Safety and Drug Control Wing. The team inspected several shops and tobacco vendors in Manimajra and Sector 16, Chandigarh, and detected violations of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, and provisions of the Excise Act.

During the inspection of Shiv Shankar Confectionery and Departmental Store at NAC, Sector 13, Manimajra, the team found cigarettes being sold without proper billing and the mandatory warning signage. The shop operator, Jai Dayal, was fined ₹1,000 by the Health Department and ₹500 by the Excise Department. Seven packets of cigarettes worth approximately ₹2,100 were also seized for lack of proper billing.

At another location outside The Liquor Estate in NAC, Sector 13, Manimajra, loose cigarettes were found at a kiosk operated by Umesh. The mandatory warning signage was also missing. The Health and Excise Departments imposed fines of ₹500 each. Two packets of imported cigarettes worth approximately ₹600 were seized, while 15 packets of loose cigarettes valued at ₹6,000 were destroyed by the vendor.

Similarly, a kiosk operated by Gaya Prasad near the HDFC Bank branch in Manimajra was found selling loose and imported cigarettes without the prescribed warning signage. The Health and Excise Departments imposed fines of ₹500 each. Imported cigarettes and related products worth approximately ₹600 were seized. In addition, 15 packets of loose cigarettes worth ₹6,000 were destroyed by the vendor.

The enforcement team also inspected shops in Sector 16-D, Chandigarh, where tobacco products were found being sold within 100 yards of educational institutions. At Sharma Confectionery and Juice Bar, Booth No. 5, operated by Ramesh Chand, fines of ₹500 each were imposed by the Health and Excise Departments. A total of 60 packets of tobacco products worth approximately ₹6,000 were seized and destroyed. At Sharma Confectionery, Booth No. 16, operated by Subash Sharma, the Health Department imposed a fine of ₹1,000, while 165 packets of tobacco products valued at approximately ₹16,500 were seized and destroyed.

During the joint enforcement drive, fines amounting to ₹5,500 were imposed on the shopkeepers by the departments concerned. The Excise Department also seized illegal and imported cigarettes with an estimated wholesale value of ₹3,300, which would have a considerably higher retail value. The seized cigarette packets did not carry the mandatory 85 per cent pictorial health warnings. In addition, 255 packets of loose cigarettes and other tobacco products worth approximately ₹34,500 were destroyed by the retailers and vendors.

Dr. Suman Singh, Director Health and Family Welfare, U.T. Chandigarh, stated that such enforcement drives would continue through the Permanent Task Force constituted by the Chandigarh Administration. She emphasised the importance of raising public awareness about the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP), the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, and the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA), 2019.

She further stated that sustained enforcement and awareness initiatives would help educate citizens about the harmful effects of tobacco consumption, prevent the sale of illegal and imported cigarettes, and ensure strict compliance with tobacco control laws across Chandigarh.