WORKERS SEEK HEARING ON BAN ON BIDI, CIGARETTE SALE

MUMBAI: A union of bidi workers, which represents around 70,000 women who work in bidi manufacturing units in Solapur, has approached the Bombay high court (HC) through former MLA Narsayya Adam, seeking to intervene in a public interest litigation (PIL) pertaining to improper Covid management during the pandemic. The union filed the intervention application after the HC, in a previous hearing of the PIL, had sought to know the stand of the Centre and state government in the face of reports by experts that smokers were more prone to contracting Covid-19 as their lungs were weakened due to smoking.

The application by Adam and general secretary of the union Mahamadgaus Shaikh, filed through advocate Sarang Aradhye, stated that in light of the HC bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice Girish Kulkarni suggesting a temporary ban on sale of cigarettes and bidis during the pandemic, bidi workers were seeking permission to be heard before any adverse orders, that would prejudice the union workers, were passed.

The application stated the bidi manufacturing business in Solapur has been going on since 150 years and is the source of livelihood of over 500,000 people.

“If any adverse action is taken and sale of bidi and cigarettes is banned during pandemic, serious harm and prejudice will be caused to the workers whose bread and butter is dependent on said business, as due to the ban, bidi manufacturing will be completely stopped... The court may direct the petitioner to implead the applicants as party respondent in the PIL,” it stated.

The application further stated that there is absence of enough material including research about Covid-19 victims addicted to smoking, and hence it was necessary to hear the applicants before any orders or directions are passed.

Similar intervention applications have also been moved by Federation of Retailers Association and Mumbai Bidi Tambaku Vyapari Sangh, opposing the suggested ban on smoking and sale of cigarettes and bidis.

The application is expected to come up for hearing in due course.