Bengaluru: BBMP shuts down cigarette-vending machines in city

You have heard about automatic vending machines for snacks and panipuri among others, but have heard one for cigarettes.

In less than a couple of weeks after installing cigarette vending machines in Bengaluru, BBMP has sealed and shut them down.

Two weeks ago, Bengaluru's first cigarette-vending machine was set up on Bellandur Main Road in the city that had gained popularity in no much time.

The other two similar machines were also installed at Marathahalli and Munnekolalu in east Bengaluru.

Posts related to this vending machine on social media had garnered massive response after the videos on it had gone viral.

BBMP shut all these three cigarette-vending machines saying that these machines exposed anyone to buy cigarettes without any age restrictions. Minors were vulnerable and they can also misuse these cigarette-vending machines.

It also cited that it shut the machines to protect non-smokers from involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke under the provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) 2003.

To get a cigarette from these machines, all one had to do was to scan a QR code to pay through UPI for their choice of cigarette brand, and the machine would then drop the cigarette into the machine tray and smokers can easily take it away from the tray.

These machines were installed in the city by Safdar Hussain, the owner of Raja Turbochargers. He claimed that he had obtained permission to install these machines.