CPHHD demands better enforcement of smoke-free rules, turns heads with road art

Hyderabad: Marking the 14th anniversary of 'smoke-free' rules and in an attempt to make people aware of COTPA (Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act), the Council for Planetary Health and Human Development (CPHHD) took up a novel awareness initiative with a thought-provoking road art in collaboration with a group of fine arts students at Khairatabad Junction on Sunday.

According to CPHHD, smoke-free rules were introduced in 2008 to banish smoking in public areas and do away with the risk of passive smoking. However, they largely remained on paper; the execution has not been satisfactory. According to Section (4) of the Act COTPA 2003, smoking is prohibited in all public places. 'Public Place' is defined as any place to which the public has access, whether as of right or not, and includes all places visited by people. Boards containing the warning, 'No Smoking Area- Smoking Here is an Offence', have to be displayed prominently at the entrance of public places.

Expressing the need for a deeper look into the implementation of the rules, Dr Suresh Kumar Cherukula, CPHHD founder, said, "bringing rules without actually implementing them on ground is of no use. Fourteen years into implementation, it is no exaggeration to say that a majority of population is still not aware of them. The onus is on government agencies to implement the rules effectively and see that no lives are lost due to public smoking. I humbly appeal to every responsible citizen to read COTPA and save future generations from the hazardous effects of tobacco," he said.

Doctors Sai Krishna Sharma R, Nikila Priya, Srinivas, Sri Keerthi, Shushobhan, deputy tahsildar Raghunandhan Maachana, and traffic police, and others participated.