Cell to smoke out offenders

HYDERABAD: The state government is contemplating to constitute a cell to monitor the implementation of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003. The cell will ensure that cigarette companies mention nicotine and tar contents of their products along with the maximum permissible limits. If the cigarettes have a higher tar content than permitted by law, they would be liable for action, according to health department sources.This clause has become mandatory following the implementation of the second tranche of smoking restrictions which came into force on Dec. 1. Prohibition of the sale of tobacco products to minors and the ban on smoking in public places — auditoria, hospitals, libraries, public conveyances, restaurants, court buildings and educational institutions — came into force on May 1, 2004. All public places have to prominently display a board with a warning "No Smoking Area-Smoking Here Is An Offence. It would also be mandatory for hotels, with a seating capacity of 30 or more, to have separate smoking and non-smoking zones. Moreover, the smoking area should be located in such a manner that the public are not required to pass through it in order to reach the non-smoking zone. The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act empowers officials to book restaurant owners if even an ash tray is found in a non-smoking zone, the officials said. The government had recently convened a meeting of all government agencies which have a role to play in the enforcement of the smoking restrictions to coordinate the implementation. The meeting decided to constitute a monitoring cell, comprising representatives from the health department, the drug control authority, the Institute of Preventive Medicine, food inspectors and police department. The police department will play the role of coordinator in the functioning of the proposed cell. The government is also examining the possibility of involving bus conductors and school principals in implementation of the Act, health department authorities said.