The coming World No Tobacco Day (May 31) is going to witness a tough time for those manufacturers and retailers of cigarettes and tobacco products in Chennai, who will not print pictorial warnings against smoking on tobacco packs.

Pictorical warnings have been made mandatory as per specifications provided by Union health ministry.

The pictures that are going to be printed are of diseased lungs and a chest X-ray for smoking forms of tobacco. A scorpion will be depicted for chewing or smokeless forms of tobacco. 'Smoking Kills' and 'Tobacco Kills' will be some of the verbal warnings.

This regulation is set to arrive after being put off five times since February 2007. In a meeting (DPH) the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine announced that they were going to launch a week-long campaign from May 31 so that the regulation could be implemented effectively.

When contacted, Director of Public Health Dr S Elango said, "This year's theme for World No Tobacco Day is health warnings and we intend to see that every tobacco product contains the warnings.''

The premises of a place suspected to carry tobacco products could be raid by any sub inspector or higher authority without a warrant.

Any tobacco product found without warnings can be seized. A fine of Rs 5,000 or imprisonment for up to two years can be imposed on the manufacturers. A fine of Rs 1,000 and imprisonment of up to one year can be imposed on any distributor who is found disobeying the regulation.

The Police Commissioner, K Radhakrishnan said that from Sunday onwards in Chennai, several three-member police squads will start checking small shops and retail outlets to see whether pictorial warnings against smoking are printed on tobacco packs or not.

Each team will consist of a police official, health officer and school headmaster. Violations of the regulation would invite fines, with or without imprisonment.