BENGALURU: Following a special drive in December 2022, BBMP penalised 392 restaurants, hotels and pubs for violating the code of conduct and not having Designated Smoking Areas (DSA) on their premises. BBMP has made designated smoking areas mandatory for all restaurants, bars or pubs with a seating capacity of more than 30. The area should come with provisions of automated doors, exhaust fans for ventilation without permeating in the non-smoking area. It must also be surrounded by walls on all its four sides. The area should not be located near the entry and exit of the venue and must be clearly marked “Smoking Area”.
BBMP said there are 2,385 restaurants in the city with a seating capacity of over 30, and those should have a smoking area. The officials said that 392 restaurants, pubs, hotels or eateries did not have the area and were penalised.
Dr KV Thrilok Chandra, BBMP, special commissioner (health), said that in total, a fine of Rs 1,10,500 has been imposed on all the eateries. Of the total eateries, only 58 eateries had a smoking area.
PC Rao, president, Bruhat Bengaluru Hotel Association (BBHA), said that it was not ideal for non-smoking food places to have a mandatory smoking area, which is a major reason why several food places are switching to non-smoking areas.
BBHA supports the initiative of no-smoking zones in restaurants and food places as they do not want to promote smoking, he said.
Rao said that he has also taken up the issue with BBMP not to make smoking areas mandatory in eateries.
Since in pubs and bars, people are drinking, those place should be under radar and not the regular eateries, he said.
