Govt. imposes complete ban on smoking in public places

he government, by withdrawing the Statutory Rules and Orders (SRO) on designated smoking areas has completely banned smoking at all public places to protect non-smokers from the hazards of passive smoking. After the withdrawal of the SRO, smokers would not be allowed to use tobacco in any form at any public or work place.Earlier, all public and private offices were allowed to designate a separate place within office premises for people to smoke, with adequate arrangements to protect non-smokers from the hazards of passive smoking. However, such authorisation was being misused, as it had become common practice for people in work places to smoke outside the designated areas, while many offices had failed to allocate designated areas for smoking altogether. Mere announcement of the ban is not enough. It actually needs a sustained concerted effort to make people aware of the danger of smoking, especially among the youngsters at the school, college and university levels for creating an environment, which would discourage/restraint new entrants to the smokers club besides making foolproof arrangements for ensuring strict adherence of the law.Shouldn’t the general public also owe a responsibility in this context for voluntarily observing the law, which is very much in their own interests as well as for the protection of non-smokers from the hazards of passive smoking?