Efforts have been launched to make Thiruvananthapuram the first district in the State that complies with the provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, (COTPA) by curbing the use of tobacco products and preventing smoking even in private spaces.
District Collector Biju Prabhakar said the first step would be to try and make all workplaces, government and public, smoke-free as per COTPA. All heads of departments/directorates had been asked to install warning boards by August 31. The warning boards were to be placed at entrances, conspicuous spaces inside offices, and each floor, including staircases and lift entrances. They would have to report the status of compliance before the specified date by a mail to dctvpm14@gmail.com
Mr. Prabhakar said agreements had been reached with associations, including that of hotels, to curb smoking on their premises. Now, the aim was to see how the same could be adopted by other shops, common spaces and so on.
“Smoking in public places has already come down to a major extent, and if we can achieve even 10 per cent of what we are aiming at, it will make a huge difference,” he said. Punitive measures against violators of the Act were yet to be finalised, he said.
