The state government has decided to ban the sale of loose and electronic cigarettes. The health department would soon issue a notification regarding the same.

Bihar would be the seventh state to take such a measure after Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Mizoram, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Haryana. Punjab and Mizoram have banned the sale of electronic cigarettes.

The decision was taken in a meeting of the Tobacco Control Coordination Committee on Friday. The committee is a body, which keeps recommending steps that are needed to curb use of tobacco. It also monitors the functioning of various rules, which have been implemented on this front.

The meeting was presided over by Brajesh Mehrotra, the principal secretary of the health department.

Members of the tobacco control cell of the state health society, and Seeds, a non-government organisation (which is helping state government in the tobacco control programme) were also present.

The consultant of the tobacco control cell of the State Health Society, Masood Alam, said: "The decision to ban the sale of loose and electronic cigarettes has been taken because section 7 of the Control of Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, states that every tobacco product which is being sold should have a pictorial warning of the harmful effects of tobacco. When a person purchases loose cigarettes, he/she does not see the pictorial warning. The reason behind banning the electronic cigarette is the excess amount of nicotine present in it, which makes a person addicted to it."

Those involved in the tobacco business said they would run in huge losses in case the ban is imposed.

Parshunath Maharaj, a betel shop owner at Fraser Road said he sells around 100 loose cigarettes everyday, but only 10 to 12 packets of cigarettes. "Many people don't want to, or they can't afford buying a packet of cigarette, so they choose to purchase loose ones. If the ban is imposed, we would lose many customers," he said.

Even though the department has failed to enforce the ban on tobacco, gutkha and scented betel nut effectively in the state, it is planning to extend the ban further.

According to previous order, the ban is effective in the state till November 7. Alam admitted to The Telegraph that the state government had failed to enforce the ban properly.