Retailers protest against proposed regulation

MANGALURU Small shopkeepers under the aegis of the Karnataka State Retail Beedi-Cigarette Merchants

Small shopkeepers under the aegis of the Karnataka State Retail Beedi-Cigarette Merchants Association staged a protest in the city on Saturday, against what they said the government’s bid to introduce ‘licence raj’ through the Karnataka Municipalities (Regulations and Inspection of Places Used for Sale of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products) Model Bye-Laws, 2020.

The association represented the Karnataka chapter of the Federation of Retailers’ Association of India (FRAI).

They said that the proposed regulation will make it impossible for them to sustain their families.

The association said that too many tobacco laws will only increase the scope of harassments and corruption by enforcement officials.

Speaking on the occasion, spokesperson of the association Sunil Kumar Bajal said that as per the draft model bylaws, tobacco product sellers will have to get a licence, which will be renewed every year.

In addition to that, multiple obligations on the part of the retailers, such as the display of licence and maintenance of a suggestion book, along with heavy penalties in case of non-compliance, have been proposed in the regulation.

He said that the very act of getting a licence will be challenging for small sellers, who do not have the money to pay the fees and are not educated enough to complete the paperwork required for licencing.