A bad news for al those rail engines that smoke in every tea stall and small shops of the city, cos they won be able to smoke anywhere in public from 2nd of next month. With the birthday of our Gandhiji comes the new rule infact a ban to say it exactly. The more bad news is government is empowering school principals, postmen, railway stationmasters, even your boss to book you if you're caught smoking in a public place. The health ministry has already sent the rule for gazette notification and will make it public in the second week of September.
'The government is yet to approve a fine of Rs.2,000 for those caught smoking in public,' said a senior health ministry official. 'So we are implementing the new Smoking in Public Places Rules 2008 with the old fine amount - up to Rs.200.' The new rule will also expand the definition of public places from government buildings to include all office buildings, hospitals, schools, colleges, railway stations, airports, bus stands, hotels and restaurants. 'With the public notification, we will empower principals of schools, colleges, station masters, postman, airport authorities to challan (book) those smoking in public places. Once caught, the smoker will have to pay Rs.200 or whatever he has if he is carrying less than that amount,' the official told IANS.
To start the process, the official said, in the last one week they fined eight employees of the Nirman Bhawan, the building that houses the health ministry, urban development ministry, and some other government offices. Hundreds of thousands of people lose their lives due to smoking related diseases in India every year. They are at risk from all cardio-vascular diseases like heart attack and stroke and cancer.
Government estimates say that though the tobacco industry brings revenue of Rs.270 billion to the country every year, the treatment cost of the disease burden is at least Rs.300 billion. The ministry said that with the new rules coming into force, all hotels with at least 30 rooms and restaurants with a sitting capacity of 30 will be barred from allowing their guests to smoke. 'They may come up with a smoking lounge but it will be mandatory that smoke from inside the lounge must not affect people outside it.'
2 comments:
Ah!! Good.. >:)
Is that part about the disease control costing more than the revenue, true? I mean, that is hard to believe.. :p
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