BENGALURU: Designated smoking areas do not provide a 100 per cent smoke-free environment, which was the sole reason behind this concept, according to the Institute for Global Tobacco Control (IGTC). The institute pointed out that secondhand smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, including cancer-inducing ones. Giving first priority to health, the Institute for Global Tobacco Control (IGTC) have insisted on a ban on Designated Smoking Areas (DSA) and rescuing innocent people from the harmful effects of passive smoking.
It may be noted that the Bengaluru city police are cracking down on DSAs following rampant complaints that they are not complying with the norms prescribed under the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) and have booked cases for the same.
Sejal Saraf, Senior Research Program Coordinator, Institute for Global Tobacco Control, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said, “The existing rules under the COTPA permits DSAs within venues like hotels and restaurants with 30 or more seats/rooms. However, among the venues across the country and in Bengaluru that have a DSA, there is generally limited compliance with the design standards, signage, and service restrictions outlined under the act. Restricting smoking to DSAs does not provide adequate protection from dangerous tobacco smoke. DSAs allow people to be exposed to harmful secondhand smoke.”
Sejal insisted that DSAs should be eliminated making way for a 100 per cent smoke-free environment.
A ban on DSAs aligns with the principles of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which calls on countries to take measures to protect people from tobacco smoke. Many countries worldwide have already recognized the importance of prohibiting smoking in designated areas to safeguard public health, and India should follow suit, she said.