BENGALURU: Over 80 per cent of restaurants surveyed by Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) and city-based NGO 'MAYA' were not aware that setting up smoking zones at hotels, eateries is mandatory.
The survey, conducted in July and August of this year, found that 86 per cent of restaurants were in the dark about this despite an order issued on the same by BBMP, which sought designated smoking areas (DSA) at the premises.
As per the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), smoking is not allowed in public places.
Any hotel or bar and restaurant having more than 30 seats should provide a designated smoking area.
The DSA has to comply with provisions such as having automated doors, exhaust fans to ventilate smoke outside without permeating the non-smoking area, surrounded by full-height walls on all four sides.
It should not be at the entrance or exit of the facility, marked as a smoking area in English and regional language and no service should be provided inside the smoking room.
According to BBMP's order, due permission or no objection certificate (NOC) needs to be obtained from the municipality.
However, it was found that only 1.9 per cent of the outlets surveyed had the requisite NOC.
Further, a no-smoking signboard that needs to be put up in front of the facilities, was found not installed at many places.
Over 70.6 per cent of restaurants did not install any 'no smoking' signs and only 29.4 per cent had installed it.
Dr Ranganath TS, Professor, and Head, Department of Community Medicine, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute said, “Acquiescence to DSA norms by getting NOC from BBMP was observed in only 1.9% of the hotels, bars, and restaurants. Though the COTPA legislations have been present for almost two decades, a significant number of breaches in law were observed during the survey, emphasizing strict enforcement from the local authority at the earliest.”
Renowned oncologist and adviser to COTPA, Dr Ramesh Bilimagga, said: "Smoking either directly or passively is a big threat to our health. Public places should be 100 per cent smoke-free.
"As the Designated Smoking Areas do not follow all the laid down norms it will be a sensible decision to ban them. Strict enforcement should be done so that public places are 100 percent smoke-free”.
The report was released on the occasion of the 13th anniversary (October 2) and will be submitted to BBMP for further action.