HYDERABAD, April 13 Pakistan People's Party MPA Humera Alwani has said that she will introduce a bill in the Sindh Assembly to make manufacturing, sale and trade of mainpuri and gutka a non-bailable offence carrying imprisonment of three-years and Rs300,000 penalty.

She said at a news conference at the Circuit House that under the bill, police officers and people whose premises or vehicles were being used for the trade or manufacturing of this product would face the same punishment, which was at present a bailable offence under section 273 of PPC carrying only one month imprisonment and Rs1,000 fine.

She said that the bill titled “The Control of Mainpuri and Gutka Act 2009” would be tabled soon. Consumption of mainpuri and gutka was leading to dangerous diseases like cancer, she said.

She claimed that medical reports indicated that out of 90 per cent of cancer cases, 82 per cent were those of mouth and throat.

Quoting figure released by the Nuclear Institute of Medical Radiotherapy, she said that every year 3,000 patients were getting registered with the institute.

The situation had called for imposing a ban on manufacturing, sale and trade of the two seemingly light drugs, mainpuri and gutka, she said.

She said that it was an open secret that police were patronising the drugs' sale in the cities and the accused were conveniently let off after they had paid Rs1,000 fine.

She said that under the proposed law the penalty would be raised to Rs300,000 and three-year imprisonment, which had until now been just three months.

She said that the police officer found involve din the trade would also be punished and tried for the same offence. The owner of the premises where the products were manufactured and the vehicles used in the trade would also be dealt with accordingly, she said.