Yesterday evening after announcement of lockdown 4 related guidelines by Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani about opening of essential services including Pan masala shops. Tobacco consumers were overjoyed to hear decision the decision of Pan shops opening in Rajkot.
Congress MLA Lalit Kargathara made a request to state authority on people of saurashtra to open Pan shops as they used to eat Gutkha (mavo) etc.
In most cities of Gujarat including Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Junagadh, Jamnagar, Porbandar and Amreli tobacco addicts rush for Gutkha etc at the shop since morning.
Today morning in Jamnagar city near Ratanbai Masjid a queue of desperate tobacco addict was seen. There were women too in the long queue waiting to get tobacco products after a gap of 55 days.
It is learnt that Pan masala shops are open in Rajkot offering discounts.Even Bouncers were deployed after people in large numbers gathered outside pan shop in Rajkot to follow norms of social distancing prescribed by state government.
Tobacco addicted women rushed at Porbandar in a big queue since morning.
At some places tobacco addicts lined up early in the morning at shop, before they could be opened.
With overwhelming rush by tobacco addicts at pan masala shops, stock of tobacco products has exhausted in first round itself. Shop owners have to establish supply chain mechanism and keep sufficient stock of the products versus their outstanding demand accrued over two months.
