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Tuesday, May 26, 2009
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Tamil Nadu tops in punishing smoking ban violators

Aarti Dhar

Complaints can be registered though the helpline
Chandigarh is the only smoke-free city now

NEW DELHI: To strengthen the mechanism for reporting violations of anti-smoking laws, the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has made its round-the-clock toll-free helpline accessible from any part of the country.

Violations can be reported on 1800-110-456. There is a provision to make complaints though the helpline. Information is also given about the provisions of the anti-smoking laws such as the definition of public place, open space and prohibited areas and fine that will be collected from violators. Till March this year, more than 1,600 violations have been reported through the helpline, which was launched in 2008 after the Revised Smoke Free Rules under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (The Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution Act, 2003) were notified.

Tamil Nadu has fined the highest number of people (9,648) for breaking the rules, collecting Rs.11,42,950. Delhi comes second with Rs.3,85,964 from 3,671 violators. In Karnataka, Rs.1,15,398 has been collected from 2,465 violators and Gujarat has netted Rs.1,17,680 from 393 people. Chandigarh is the only smoke-free city in the country. Delhi proposes to reach the mark in 2009, while Chennai, Ahmedabad and Mumbai will go smoke-free in 2010. Some other States, including Jharkhand and Sikkim, are also working towards becoming smoke-free.

The Act, aimed at discouraging the consumption of cigarettes and other tobacco products, prohibits smoking in public places, bans sale of tobacco products to minors, imposes a ban on direct and indirect advertisements of all tobacco products and seeks to display specified health warnings on tobacco products. The Revised Smoke Free Rules make violation of the Act punishable with fine up to Rs.200. Many States have put in place a mechanism for issuing challans.

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