Police detects 5,912 smoking cases in temple city

Commissioner of police B K Sharma said the cases were reported from 15 of the state capital`s 19 police station areas.

COTPA was implemented in the area under the jurisdiction of the commissionrate of police since March, 2010 and would be strictly enforced in Cuttack too this year, he said.

The police is planning to implement 6(a) of COTPA which prohibited sale of cigarettes to persons below 18 years in the city and school and college students would be made aware of the ill effects, he said.

Sharma said the number of organised crime had dropped from 6935 cases in 2009 to 6817 in 2010 in the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar but there was rise in the incidences of murder, rape and theft cases.

The number of murder cases rose from 51 in 2009 to 63 in 2010 and rape cases from 46 to 60.

There was also a rise in the number of motor vehicle accidents. While 274 persons died due to road mishaps in 2009, it was 299 in 2010. Of them 55 per cent were reported from the city area and the rest on the national highway.