Mawa the maraya

Nadira Gunatilleke

Most boutiques (petti kada) near a leading school in Kalutara, sell food injurious to health such as Mawa which is a mixture of artificial cancerous colouring which causes oral cancer, tobacco liquid and arecanut to schoolchildren. The product is similar to Babul, Beeda and Panparag etc, a Health Ministry spokesman said.

The spokesman said schoolchildren use Mawa to get intoxicated.

Doctors participating in the World Oral Health Day programme yesterday, said the ‘business’ was carried out close to schools, tragetting schoolchildren. Mawa is imported from India. The spokesman said under the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Act number 27 of 2006, it is not possible to stop importing, transporting, storing, selling and using products such as Babul, Beeda, Panparag and Mawa.

“This has been brought to Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena’s notice. Minister Sirisena said he will take action to amend the Act, enabling it to ban importing, transporting, storing, selling and use of illegal and unhealthy products sold to schoolchildren,” he said. Meanwhile, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratne said he will take action against persons importing theses products from India.