The Kukke Sri Subrahmanya Temple town in Dakshina Kannada will be free of tobacco items. The selling of beedi, cigarettes, and other tobacco products has been outlawed by Subrahmanya Gram Panchayat (GP) at all stores located in the serpent deity shrine town. For the Champa Shashti Mahotsava, which lasts through December 5, devotees from all over the nation have flocked to the temple.
The Gram Panchayat has passed a decision to enforce a permanent ban to ensure that worshippers and tourists visiting the temple town are not inconvenienced by smoking. In addition, the GP has made the decision to outlaw chewing tobacco in order to keep the town clean.
According to Subrahmanya GP president Lalitha G. Gundadka, the decision to prohibit the sale of tobacco products was made in consideration of the holiness of the temple, where a huge number of devotees come to offer prayers, particularly Sarpa Samskara and Ashlesha Bali.
The town’s tobacco consumption shouldn’t cause problems for pilgrims who are travelling to the temple which lead to the overwhelmingly approved resolution in this regard. The GP’s resolution will be widely publicised. Since smoking in public places is prohibited under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), a request will be given to the police assistance in enforcing the requirements and penalising those who break the rules, as stating by GP president. Even after the Champa Shashti festival, according to Lalitha, the ban would remain in effect. The doctor will also look for drug or other substance use.
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