PANAJI
On ‘No Smoking Day’, civil societies, doctors, and cancer victims have urged the government of India to remove designated smoking rooms at hotels, restaurants and airports to protect people from second-hand smoke. While appreciating the government for initiating the process to amend COTPA 2003, they appealed for immediate removal of current provision that permits smoking areas to make India 100 percent smoke free and check the spread of Covid-19 infection in India.
"There is growing evidence that smoking is a risk for Covid infection. Smoking worsens lung function and reduces immunity. Smokers who develop covid infection have more complications and greater risk of fatality. All designated smoking areas in hotels and restaurants and even airports should be removed to ensure a 100 % smoke free environment. Most of these designated smoking areas are rarely compliant as per COTPA requirements and are actually putting our public at great health risk from exposure to secondhand smoke,” stated Dr Shekhar Salkar, president, National Organization Tobacco Eradication (NOTE).
In India, smoking is banned in all public as per the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce Production, Supply and Distribution) Act COTPA 2003. Section 4 of this Act prohibits smoking in any place to which the public has access.
The Government of India has started the COTPA Amendment process and introduced the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
“I applaud the government of India for starting the amendment process of tobacco control law COTPA 2003 as this is an important step towards improving public health. There is an urgent need to strengthen the provisions for making India smoke free and protect millions of Indians from tobacco related diseases and deaths. Passive smoking is killing many as DSA’s emit injurious smoke to children and non-smokers,” said Ashim Sanyal, COO Consumer VOICE, New Delhi.
