Harmful substances.

THE Sindh Assembly has finally taken the much-awaited step of making the sale, purchase and manufacture of gutka and mainpuri illegal and punishable by law. The move is, indeed, laudable. However, it remains to be seen whether the government is able to enforce the new law in letter and spirit, saving millions of people from the clutches of dangerous diseases such as mouth cancer. Under the Sindh Prohibition of Preparation, Manufacturing, Storage, Sale and Use of Gutka and Mainpuri Bill, 2019, all aspects - from the import, export and manufacturing to the buying and selling of gutka and mainpuri - have been made punishable by law. Though the provincial government has in the past imposed temporary bans on the sale and purchase of this noxious substance (the Sindh High Court in August this year had also imposed a ban on its sale and manufacture), it is for the first time that this effort is being codified into a comprehensive law. Under the bill, even owning and operating a space or machinery for the processing of gutka and mainpuri are prohibited. All offences under this bill are cognisable, non-bailable and...