Four years after the Centre banned smoking in public places, no one seems to care. Shockingly, no one even knows about the ban on smoking in public places that came into effect on October 2, 2008. Smoking is rampant on roads, bus stands, railway stations and worse, even outside educational institutions. There are approximately 120 million smokers in India. But the problem is that smoking in India is on rising side unlike Western countries.
.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), India is home to 12% of the world’s smokers. Approximately 900,000 people die every year in India due to smokingThe government, under COTPA (Control of Tobacco Products Act), has banned sale of tobacco products within 100 metres of educational institutes but it is shocking to know that Nearly 17 percent of students in India, aged 15 and under, use some form of tobacco, mainly cigarettes, according to a survey conducted by the World Health Organization. Cigarette smoking causes a number of health problems. It is a major cause of respiratory diseases such as asthma, increases your risk of developing lung cancer and other lung diseases like bronchitis.
It also leads to heart disease. Smokers can suffer from bad breathing and tooth loss. Smoking during pregnancy can lead serious complications for mother and the baby. It affects the baby’s health and development. Nicotine is a deathly poison and too many people have died from the ill effects of smoking. People, mostly railway commuters, smoke cigarettes and bidis openly, outside and within the railway station premises and also in the bus stand which are in the heart of the city .
There is no policeman to fine the offenders There is no awareness among the people about the smoking ban act as everyone is smoking in public places. even when u will go to the chocolate room u will feel like entering a chimney as many youngsters mostly in their 20's are over der engaged in smoking cigarette's and playing cards and no one is present to stop them . , so what is the use of this ban when there is no official to implent this ?? It's medically proven that secondhand smoke is injurious to health. This was he reason that a necessity of a ban on smoking in public areas arise. Four years since, some things have worked, others haven't. The ban is in place in many offices, restaurants and public spaces but tobacco products continue to be sold near educational institutes.
Awareness is low and enforcement hugely lacking barring some incidents where celebrities have been booked for violations. The responsibility is primarily on smokers to make the rule work in the larger interest of public health. Second, more awareness campaigns and better monitoring could help make the law effective.
