Tobacco 'ban' at JNU goes up in smoke

S Shanthi / TNN / Oct 8, 2006, 00:26 IST

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A proposal to ban the sale of tobacco products on campus has only managed to light up a controversy at the university.

NEW DELHI: It aimed to make Jawaharlal Nehru University smoke-free. But a proposal to ban the sale of tobacco products on campus has only managed to light up a controversy at the university.
Most students feel that while the Campus Development Committee (CDC) has been pushing for the ban, there's a need to understand that the ban cannot be extended to residential areas.
"If I have to smoke, I will get the cigarettes from wherever I can. I can go to Munirka market across the road and buy them. No one can stop me from doing that. So, what's the point in having a ban? Out of 5,000-odd students in JNU, nearly 2,500 smoke. How can you stop all of them from smoking?" says Sameer Pratap Singh, who's pursuing his MA in international studies.
Many see the proposed ban as an infringement of rights, and feel this will only sour the relationship between students and authorities.

"We are not living under a Taliban regime. As adults, we should have every right to do what we want," says Jitendar Kumar, a second-year MA student at the university.
Even the dhaba owners, who have been selling cigarettes and tobacco products in JNU for years now, don't think such a ban would ever work.
Earlier, the CDC had floated a proposal to request these kiosk owners to shift to selling products other than tobacco, like soft drinks and snacks. However, the move was deferred as there were not many takers for it.

"My dhaba has been here for 15 years. Every now and then, the authorities talk about banning smoking and selling of cigarettes, but nothing has happened so far. Most of the students here are so addicted that they cannot study without smoking. They come to us at odd hours in night for a fag. If I don't give them cigarettes, they will get it from outside," says Hemant of Ganga Dhaba. Hemant sells at least 50 packets of cigarettes a day.
After this week's meeting, the CDC authorities too are claiming that they are not placing a blanket ban on the sale of tobacco products on the JNU campus.
"We are only banning the sale in some dhabas and paan shops near the academic block. Also, signboards warning that sale of tobacco products to minors is illegal, should be put up. We understand that with little effort and determination, one can quit smoking," says Professor Deepak Kumar, chairman of the Campus Development Committee.
But students point out that this "selective" ban is not practical. "You will not sell it here, but you will sell it just few metres away. I don't understand what the authorities are trying to do," says a PhD student.

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