Statesman News Service
MALDA, Dec. 27: Hundreds of bidi workers under the leadership of bidi factory owners, staged a demonstration in front of the Malda district magistrate office today, protesting against the government’s decision to make printing of statutory warning on bidi packets mandatory. Two organisations of bidi factory owners of Murshidabad took out a massive rally in Malda today before submitting a memorandum to the Malda district magistrate.The additional district magistrate (general), Malda, Mr Abdul Khaleque, received the memorandum on behalf of the DM.The bidi factory owners argued that they would never print the five-point statutory on the bidi packets as directed by the government under the Tobacco Act 2004-06. The bidi factory owners have been observing several agitation programmes since 2004 in support of their demand, but to no avail. “Other countries are not as strict as India vis-à-vis smoking and the World Health Organisation has not said that bidi could create health hazards,” the bidi factory owners and workers, said.
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