The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has warned that stalls would be shut down for selling tobacco products.
Addressing a press conference a day before the tobacco ban comes into force on Thursday, KMC Spokesperson Navin Manandhar said that the tobacco products would be confiscate for up to two times, and the stalls would be shut down if found selling those products for the third time.
The KMC has banned sale of tobacco products effective from Thursday having already issued public notice to that regard a few weeks back.
The KMC has also banned sale of cigarettes and smoking 100 meters around public places. Anybody found smoking at public places would be thrown out and fined up to Rs 100.
Manandhar said that the KMC would mobilize municipal police in civil dress for monitoring.
Sale of tobacco products in plastic packs would be banned across the country in a few months. The budget for the current fiscal year had a provision requiring tobacco products including gutka be sold in bio-degradable packs.
The budget has given the industries up to April 2024 to make arrangements for such bio-degradable packaging. The rule would apply even on imported tobacco products.
The deadline has been given amending Excise Duty Rules (2002), according to Director General of the Inland Revenue Department Dirgha Raj Mainali.
