In city, no smoking rule up in smoke

Believe it or not, in Nagpur nobody smokes in public place. One year after the smoking in public places was banned, the city police are
yet to book a single person for the offence.

Though anybody can see people violating the ban, the authorities supposed to enforce it pretend the problems does not exist. In fact, barring at Government Medical College and Hospital, where the authorities fined a few persons for violating the ban, no public authority or office has tried to enforce the ban. “This doesn’t mean there is total compliance. This means there is poor enforcement,” allege health experts and activists. The laxity is not confined to smoking. Many measures lie neglected. Chewing of tobacco, riding two wheelers without helmets and use of plastic carry bags are all banned but continue to happen. “It is a matter of serious concern that smoking in public places is going on as usual despite the ban,” said Indian Medical Association’s national president Dr Ashok Adhao.

The ban was imposed under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003, and carries a fine of up to Rs 200. “We cannot expect people to quit smoking or change their habits overnight. Unless everybody realises that smoking is really injurious to health it will not help things. In many countries they have separate zones for smoking and we mustalso try to follow that rather than ban it altogether,” Dr Adhao pointed out. Dr Anil Laddhad, president of Nagpur centre of IMA, said if the government was serious about people’s health, then it should ban manufacturing of tobacco products itself.

According to Madhukar Kukde, president, Citizens Forum for Equality, blames state government for neglecting its duties. He is planning to move the high court against the government for its failure. “We would create awareness among women, students, employees and other sections through seminars, workshops and other media in rural and urban areas,” said Kukde. He said his organisation would also try to rope in other NGOs in the awareness campaign. A senior police officer, requesting anonymity, admitted that the police had not booked even one person for smoking in public place but refused to comment further.